Eih Dee

Legends descend on Unibol for Gethin Jones mum MND fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 05:04:00 +0000

WANDERERS legends turned out in force at the Unibol as part of Gethin Jones' fundraiser for motor neurone disease.

The fundraiser was organised by Gareth Jones, dad of Whites player Gethin, whose wife Karen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last July. It aims to raise Â£250,000.

Players who gave fans of the club some of their happiest moments on the pitch stepped out in front of a crowd of 13,187.

The legends, managed by Sam Allardyce, took on the current team but were defeated by 7-4.

There was a loud cheer as Ivan Campo came off the pitch and another iconic substitution involved Lucas Davies coming on for his dad Kevin, who played for the club 351 times in a 10-year spell.

Hero keeper Jussi JÃ¤Ã¤skelÃ¤inen also made a return between the posts and saw plenty of action.

Fans were given the chance show their appreciation for the legends of the game as they did a lap of honour at full-time.

The Jones' effort can be donated to be visiting www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Karen-JonesMND online.

The match came as the government announced a Â£50m boost for research into the causes of MND, seeking to find a cure for a condition which affects around 5,000 people in the UK.

Someone Snuck a Card Skimmer Into Costco to Nab Shopper Data

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 02:36:00 +0000

This week, security researchers from Google uncovered a so-called watering hole attack that indiscriminately targeted Apple devices in Hong Kong. Hackers compromised media and pro-democracy websites in the region to distribute malware to any visitors from an iPhone or Mac, placing a backdoor that let them steal data, download files, and more. Google didn't attribute the campaign to any specific actor, but did note that âthe activity and targeting is consistent with a government-backed actor.â The incident echoes the 2019 revelation that China had targeted thousands of iPhones in a similar mannerâ"at the time, a wake-up call that iOS security isn't as infallible as it's perceived.

The Justice Department also announced its most significant ransomware enforcement actions yet, arresting one alleged hacker associated with the notorious REvil group and seizing $6.1 million of cryptocurrency from another. There's still a long way to go to rein in the broader ransomware threat, but showing that law enforcement can actually extract a consequence is an important start.

If you've noticed that TikTok is pushing you to connect more with friends and familyâ"rather than limiting your feed to talented and engaging strangersâ"you're not alone. The platform has taken some unprecedented steps in recent months to figure out who your friends are in real life, raising concerns about both privacy and whether TikTok's changes will undermine what makes the social network so appealing in the first place.

Lastly, at this week's RE:WIRED conference we spoke with Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency, about the challenges she and the US government as a whole face from increasingly sophisticated adversaries. Having come up through the ranks via the NSA and the Pentagon, Easterly is used to offensive cyber operations. Her job now? Play some defense. Preferably, she says, with the help of the broader hacker community.

And there's more! Each week we round up all the security news WIRED didnât cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full stories, and stay safe out there.

A Card Skimmer Snuck Its Way Into a Costco

You may normally associate card-skimmer attacksâ"which impersonate credit card readers to steal your payment infoâ"with ATMs and gas pumps, to the extent that you think of them at all. But recently someone placed a card-skimming device in a Costco warehouse, of all places. An employee discovered the interloping equipment during a âroutine check,â according to a report from BleepingComputer. The company has informed people whose credit card info may have been stolen. It's a good reminder to double-check where you stick your plasticâ"or stick with NFC payments.

Hackers Got to Robinhood's Internal Tools

Earlier this week, Robinhood disclosed a âsecurity incidentâ in which a hacker used social engineering to access an email list of 5 million people, the full names of 2 million people, and the name, date of birth, and zip codes of 310 people. Motherboard went on to report that the attackers had in fact accessed internal tools that could have let them disable two-factor authentication for users, log them out of their accounts, and view their balance and trading information. Robinhood says that customer accounts weren't tampered with, but that doesn't help much with the fact that they apparently could have been quite easily.

NSO Group Spyware Found on Palestinian Activists' Devices

Spyware manufacturer NSO Group has been no stranger to controversy lately, and was recently placed on the US Entity List because it allegedly âdeveloped and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers.â Now, researchers at the nonprofit Frontline Defenders say they've found the company's Pegasus malware on the phones of six Palestinian activists. They couldn't definitively tie the origin of the malware to a specific country or organization, but the incident is just the latest in a long line of surveillance malware being used where it expressly shouldn't.

Cuba harasses detains activists on eve of planned protest

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:11:00 +0000

Security forces surrounded the homes of Cuban activists on Sunday, the day before a planned march that will test the strength of the protest movement that erupted last summer when Cubans poured into the streets to demand more political freedoms on the communist-ruled island.

The best-known organizer of Mondayâs protest, 39-year-old playwright Yunior GarcÃa Aguilera, had announced he would march alone through Havana at 3 p.m. on Sunday, carrying a white rose in solidarity with Cubans who had been prevented from participating the following day. But hours before he set out, plainclothes police swarmed his block and besieged his building. He tried to signal to journalists from his apartment, displaying a white sheet in support of the protests, and a rose. People dropped giant Cuban flags over the side of the building to cover the windows.

âWe all know we can be detained within a few hours,â GarcÃa Aguilera said in a Facebook Live post on Sunday morning, appearing nervous but calm. âI will face this with dignity. I believe this country will change.â

He called on people around the nation to clap at 3 p.m. to show their âthirst for freedom,â but there did not appear to be a widespread response. âI wonât renounce my ideas,â he told The Washington Post later Sunday. He said, however, he was penned in by hundreds of security forces outside his home. âThe lives of my family members are in danger,â he said.

Cuban authorities had hoped to celebrate the islandâs grand reopening to tourists on Monday, following a coronavirus shutdown of nearly 20 months that has crippled an already weak economy. Instead, the day has become symbolic of the confrontation between the government and pro-democracy activists.

Thousands of Cubans, fed up with food shortages, a battered health system and electricity blackouts, spontaneously joined demonstrations last July. They were the biggest protests in six decades.

Activists planned a nationwide âCivic March for Changeâ on Monday. But with the advance warning, the government has moved aggressively to derail another massive protest. It denied the organizers a permit, claiming they were tied to âsubversive organizationsâ financed by the U.S. government.

In recent days, GarcÃa Aguilera said, his phone lines and Internet connection were cut. Authorities summoned independent Cuban journalists and activists for questioning and warned they could face charges of public disorder.

On Sunday, the crackdown intensified. Several government critics, including Washington Post opinion contributor Abraham JimÃ©nez Enoa, said that security forces were preventing them from leaving their homes. The Facebook forum ArchipiÃ©lago, run by GarcÃa Aguilera and other activists, reported that its moderator, Daniela Rojo, had vanished. Security forces detained another leader of the site, Carlos Ernesto Diaz Gonzalez, in the city of Cienfuegos, according to ArchipiÃ©lago. The government suspended the credentials of several Havana-based reporters working for EFE, the Spanish news agency.

Journalists who drove to GarcÃa Aguileraâs apartment building on Sunday morning were driven away by pro-government demonstrators, the playwright said. Several hours later, he appeared at his window, brandishing a white rose, according to reporters at the scene. At one point, he flashed a sign reading: âMy house is blocked.â Thatâs when people on the roof unfurled giant Cuban flags that cascaded down the side of the three-story building, cutting him off from view.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday condemned Cubaâs âintimidation tactics.â

âWe call on the Cuban government to respect Cubansâ rights, by allowing them to peacefully assemble and use their voices without fear of government reprisal or violence, and by keeping Internet and telecommunication lines open,â he said in a statement.

Cuban authorities have accused the U.S. government of provoking instability by backing the demonstrations â" a charge Washington denies.

âThe Cuban government cannot, while respecting its basic obligations, allow the United States to organize and promote a provocation like this,â Foreign Minister Bruno RodrÃguez told foreign diplomats on Friday in Havana. He has said the demonstrators donât represent a broad grass roots movement, but are a minority.

Activists said they didnât expect Mondayâs marches to be as big as ones that swept the island in July. Security forces broke up those protests and arrested hundreds of people. Many are still in jail.

Even a smaller turnout, however, could indicate that Cubaâs communist system is facing a new and unpredictable challenge to its legitimacy. The protests have been led by artists and young people who feel little connection to Fidel Castroâs 1959 Revolution. They have organized on social media, taking advantage of citizensâ increased access to the Internet in recent years.

âI donât think the protesters have to garner as many people as came out to the streets in July to prove their point â" that this sentiment has deeper roots than the government would care to acknowledge,â said Michael Bustamante, a Cuba expert at the University of Miami.

Still, he said, the stakes for the opposition are high. If thereâs scant participation, it would make it easier âfor the government to effectively say, âThis is a nothingburger.â â

Just as much of a concern for organizers was violence by security forces. Activists have urged citizens nervous about participating to show their support by banging pots and pans, wearing white, applauding marchers and boycotting state-run television.

AstraZeneca moves to start making a profit from its vaccine

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 21:51:00 +0000

By Suzi Ring November 15, 2021 â" 7.54am

AstraZeneca is moving to profit from the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with the University of Oxford after watching Pfizer and Moderna reap huge returns over the past year of the pandemic.

The UK drugmaker will start generating modest profits from the shot as new orders are received, AstraZeneca said in a statement. The vaccine will continue to be sold at cost for developing nations.

AstaZeneca chief Pascal Soriot. The companyâs decision to make its jab without taking a profit has squeezed margins.Credit:Edwina Pickles

The company is shifting to a for-profit model even as many countries grapple with rising COVID-19 cases. AstraZeneca chief executive officer Pascal Soriot said COVID-19 is moving into an endemic phase, and the move is in line with the companyâs plan early in the crisis, when it pledged not to profit from the vaccine as long as the disease remained a pandemic.

AstraZeneca and Oxford created one of the first coronavirus vaccines, receiving authorisation from the UK in December. The company has looked on as Pfizer and Moderna, which rolled out successful vaccines around the same time, have made billions of dollars in sales. Astra has said it will only take a profit from wealthier nations, and it will rely on tiered pricing to make sure the shot is affordable.

Pfizer has said its shot which was developed with BioNTech â" the best-selling pharmaceutical product of all time in a given year â" is expected to bring in $US36 billion ($49 billion) in sales in 2021. Astraâs vaccine revenue is $US2.2 billion so far this year.

The AstraZeneca vaccineâs profits will be much lower than Pfizerâs, and the shot will ânever be high-priced,â Soriot told reporters on a call. The gains will offset costs related to its COVID-19 antibody cocktail.

âIt will never be high-priced because we want the vaccine to remain affordable to everybody around the world,â Soriot said. âIt has a future, but itâs certainly not something we see as a huge profit earner.â

The company said it will âprogressively transitionâ the vaccine to modest profitability as new orders are received, and COVID-19 vaccine sales in the fourth quarter are expected to be a âblend of the original pandemic agreements and new orders, with the large majority coming from pandemic agreements.â

The vaccine isnât yet authorised in the US, after the company missed the window for an emergency authorisation due to the complicated nature of its trial results. Astra is planning to submit the shot for approval to regulators in the first half of next year, according to its quarterly statement.

The company is also in discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration about a paediatric study it will conduct in the US, Mene Pangalos, Astraâs head of biopharmaceutical research, told reporters. Another study started by Oxford in 6-to-17-year-olds this year will readout by year-end, which the company hopes will allow it to start immunising children globally, he said.

The shares dropped as much as 5.9 per cent after earnings in the quarter missed analystsâ estimates.

AstraZeneca has said it will only take a profit from wealthier nations, and it will rely on tiered pricing to make sure the shot is affordable.Credit:AP

The development comes after the company said this week it is creating a new unit to house its COVID-19-19 assets, raising questions over whether it would look to push further into the vaccines space or spin off the business at some point. Astra only had one nasal flu spray before the pandemic. The company also has a monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus in advanced development, which will sit in the group.

Astra reiterated its outlook for the year following the acquisition of rare-disease specialist Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. The company is in the midst of integrating Alexion into the business and will look for other potential acquisitions and collaborations in the rare disease space, Marc Dunoyer, chief executive officer of Alexion, said in a Bloomberg interview.

âThere is so much innovation that is coming out for new modalites in rare diseases,â Dunoyer said from Ireland, where Astra is investing $US360 million to build a new manufacturing facility on the Alexion campus there. We will partner with companies and âenvisage all sorts of collaborations.â

Bloomberg

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Walk The Line judging panel CONFIRMED Alesha Dixon Dawn French and Craig David join line-up

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 19:27:00 +0000

Walk The Line judging panel CONFIRMED! Alesha Dixon, Dawn French and Craig David join line-up - Internewscast Home News Walk The Line judging panel CONFIRMED! Alesha Dixon, Dawn French and Craig David join line-up

Last-minute coal compromise in climate deal disappoints many at COP26

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 07:31:00 +0000

Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled Our Changing Planet to show and explain the effects of climate change and what is being done about it.

Almost 200 nations at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow accepted a contentious climate compromise Saturday aimed at keeping alive a key target to limit global warming, but it contained a last-minute change that some officials called a watering down of crucial language about coal.

Several countries, including small island states, said they were deeply disappointed by the change to "phase down," rather than "phase out" coal power, the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Have questions about COP26 or climate science, policy or politics? Email us: ask@cbc.ca. Your input helps inform our coverage.

"Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe."

Nation after nation had complained earlier on the final day of two weeks of talks at the UN climate change conference about how the deal isn't enough, but they said it was better than nothing and provides incremental progress, if not success.

Delegates mingle during the UN climate conference in Glasgow on Saturday. Though nation after nation complained Saturday that the climate deal reached isn't enough, they said it was better than nothing and provides incremental progress, if not success. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

In the end, the summit broke ground by singling out coal, however weakly, by setting the rules for international trading of carbon credits, and by telling big polluters to return next year with improved pledges for cutting emissions.

But domestic priorities both political and economic again kept nations from committing to the fast, big cuts that scientists say are needed to keep warming below dangerous levels that would produce extreme weather and rising seas capable of erasing some island nations.

India pushed for coal changes

Ahead of the conference, the United Nations had set three criteria for success, and none of them were achieved. The UN's criteria included pledges to cut carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030, $100 billion US in financial aid from rich nations to poor, and ensuring that half of that money went to helping the developing world adapt to the worst effects of climate change.

Negotiators from Switzerland and Mexico called the coal language change against the rules because it came so late. However, they said they had no choice but to hold their noses and go along with it.

"We did not achieve these goals at this conference," Guterres said. "But we have some building blocks for progress."

WATCH | Why we need to set climate targets even if we miss them: Why we need to set climate targets even if we miss them23 hours agoCanada and the rest of the world are falling short of meeting climate targets. Does that mean all is lost? Hereâs a closer look at why itâs important to set climate targets even if we donât hit them. 5:42

Swiss Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said the change will make it harder to achieve the international goal to limit warming to 1.5 C since pre-industrial times â" the more stringent threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said governments had no choice but to accept India's coal language change: "If we hadn't done that we wouldn't have had an agreement."

But he insisted the deal was good news for the world.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry gestures as he speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on Saturday. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

"We are in fact closer than we have ever been before to avoiding climate chaos and securing [cleaner] air, safer water and [a] healthier planet," he said later at a news conference.

Many other nations and climate campaigners pointed to India for making demands that weakened the final agreement.

"India's last-minute change to the language to phase down but not phase out coal is quite shocking," said Australian climate scientist Bill Hare, who tracks world emission pledges for the science-based Climate Action Tracker. "India has long been a blocker on climate action, but I have never seen it done so publicly."

Others approached the deal from a more positive perspective. In addition to the revised coal language, the Glasgow Climate Pact included enough financial incentives to almost satisfy poorer nations and solved a long-standing problem to pave the way for carbon trading.

The agreement also says big carbon polluting nations must submit stronger emission cutting pledges by the end of 2022.

'It's meek, it's weak'

Negotiators said the deal preserved, albeit barely, the overarching goal of limiting Earth's warming by the end of the century to 1.5 C. The world has already warmed 1.1 C compared to preindustrial times.

Governments used the word "progress" more than 20 times, but rarely used the word "success," and when they did, it was mostly in reference to reaching a conclusion, not the details in the agreement.

COP President Alok Sharma said the deal drives "progress on coal, cars, cash and trees" and is "something meaningful for our people and our planet."

The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COP26?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COP26</a> is over. Hereâs a brief summary: Blah, blah, blah.<br><br>But the real work continues outside these halls. And we will never give up, ever. <a href="https://t.co/EOne9OogiR">https://t.co/EOne9OogiR</a>

—@GretaThunberg

Environmental activists were measured in their not-quite-glowing assessments, issued before India's last-minute change.

"It's meek, it's weak and the 1.5 C goal is only just alive, but a signal has been sent that the era of coal is ending. And that matters," said Greenpeace international executive director Jennifer Morgan.

Former Irish president Mary Robinson, speaking for a group of retired leaders called The Elders, said the pact represents "some progress, but nowhere near enough to avoid climate disaster."

"People will see this as a historically shameful dereliction of duty."

'For heaven's sake, don't kill this moment'

Indian Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav argued against a provision on phasing out coal, saying that developing countries were "entitled to the responsible use of fossil fuels."

He blamed "unsustainable lifestyles and wasteful consumption patterns" in rich countries for causing global warming.

After Yadav first raised the spectre of changing the coal language, a frustrated Frans Timmermans, the European Union vice-president and climate envoy, begged negotiators to unite for future generations.

India's Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, is seen at COP26 on Saturday. Yadav successfully argued against a provision on phasing out coal and suggested a change in language many found disappointing. (Phil Noble/Reuters)

"For heaven's sake, don't kill this moment," Timmermans pleaded. "Please embrace this text so that we bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren."

Helen Mountford, vice-president of the World Resources Institute think-tank, said India's demand may not matter as much as feared because the economics of cheaper, renewable fuel is making coal increasingly obsolete.

"Coal is dead. Coal is being phased out," she said. "It's a shame that they watered it down."

Kerry and several other negotiators noted that good compromises leave everyone slightly unsatisfied.

"Paris built the arena and Glasgow starts the race," the veteran U.S. diplomat said. "And tonight the starting gun was fired."

Chinese negotiator Zhao Yingmin echoed that sentiment.

WATCH | What did young climate activists think of COP26?: What did young climate activists think of COP26?Climate activists Rosie Bleyer and AliÃ©nor Rougeot join Power & Politics to give their thoughts on COP26 as it starts to wrap up. 7:28

"I think our biggest success is to finalize the rulebook," Zhao told the Associated Press. "Now we can start implementing it and delivering it on our achieved consensus."

Among those highlighting the cost of failure was Aminath Shauna, the Maldives' minister for environment, climate change and technology.

Shauna pointed out that to stay within the warming limit nations agreed to six years ago in Paris, the world must cut CO2 emissions essentially in half in 98 months. She said the developing word needs the rich world to step up.

"The difference between 1.5 and 2 C is a death sentence for us," she said. "We didn't cause the climate crisis. No matter what we do, it won't reverse this."

Yassmin Fouad Abdelaziz, Egypt's environment minister, said next year's talks to be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh would focus on aid and compensation for poor countries.

As negotiators left the final session after congratulating themselves, they passed a young lone protester who sat silently with red blood-like writing on crossed arms that said: "We are watching."

Glasgow ends in compromise disappointment and a little hope

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 05:09:00 +0000

The mood towards the end of the Glasgow climate talks wavered somewhere between resignation and misery.

For two weeks the COP president Alok Sharma had been calling on delegates to âarm themselves with the currency of compromiseâ.

As talks spilled a day into overtime, it was becoming clear who was going to have to do the compromising, and just how much currency they would be required to surrender.

For years at these talks, developing nations have been calling for a mechanism to be created for wealthy nations to pay for the loss and damage being caused by climate change in poorer ones.

The argument for this is one of justice, explains Mohamed Adow, director of the climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa. Rich nations caused the problem which is so far having a disproportionate impact in vulnerable island states and vast swathes of Africa.

The demand for loss and damage has been sidelined over the years, even by wealthy western nations that are progressive on other climate issues, such as the US, the UK and the EU. They fear that conceding on the issue will lead to vast long-term costs, and their key interest is in mitigation to stave off the terrible impacts of climate change they can see so rapidly approaching.

But in Glasgow blocs of nations stood by the demand for loss and damage finance and forced the talks into overtime in an effort to achieve it.

Finally on Saturday in the mid-afternoon, the developing nations folded. They could not afford to threaten the Glasgow Pact and its mechanisms for speeding up emissions reductions. The poor conceded to the rich.

In a meeting called to update the presidency on their positions, they rose to offer their reluctant support.

The Maldives environment minister Shauna Aminath shed light on the toll of the compromise.

âPlease do us the courtesy of acknowledging that this does not bring hope to our hearts, but serves as another conversation in which we put our homes on the line while those who have other options decide how quickly they want to act to save those who donât,â she said.

Aminath Shauna, Maldivesâ Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, told the delegates: âPlease do us the courtesy to acknowledge that it does not bring hope to our hearts.âCredit:AP

For a time it seemed as though the imperfect deal was done, until India, backed by China, intervened to water down language calling for coal to be phased out, insisting instead that it be changed to âphased down.â

This change in language means there is no deadline to end coal power.

This was a bitter disappointment to those states that had just ceded so much.

âThis commitment on coal had been a bright spot in this package,â said Marshall Islands climate envoy Tina Stege.

âIt was one of the things we were hoping to carry out of here and back home with pride. And it hurts deeply to see that bright spot dimmed.

âWe accept this change with the greatest reluctance. We do so only â" and I want to stress, only â" because there are critical elements of this package that people in my country need as a lifeline for their future.â

The European Unionâs vice president Frans Timmermans was equally scathing.

âIt is no secret to this gathering that the European Union would have wanted to go even further than the initial text in the cover agreement on coal,â he said.

European Commissioner for European Green Deal Frans Timmermans.Credit:AP

âThis is a consequence of our own painful experience with coal. We all know that European wealth was built on coal. And if we donât get rid of coal, European death will also be built on coal.

âWe know full well, that coal has no future and this is what weâre working on with our own plans to put an end to coal in Europe in the foreseeable future.â

Despite the compromises and the disappointments, most climate observers did not view the COP as a failure.

Richie Merzian, energy and climate program director at the Australia Institute and a former climate negotiator said even the battered language on coal is significant.

âAfter 15 years in the process, itâs exciting to see fossil fuels directly targeted, with significant alliances against coal, oil and gas launched on the margins of COP and language on phasing out traditional coal power debated to the final hours and even supported by Australia,â he says. âProgress has been made, hopes have remained and the process lurches forward to 2022.â

Alden Meyer, a veteran of every COP ever held and senior associate with the think tank e3g said the main goal of the meeting was always a tough ask.

â1.5 is alive, but it is on life support in the ICU.â

But he says that the mechanisms in the agreement to have governments review and improve their reduction goals and strategies annually, and to have their progress monitored by the UN, could have a significant impact on emissions, especially when combined with the COP side-deals many nations signed to reduce methane emissions and abandoned fossil fuels.

The structure for rapid emissions reductions is there, if nations chose to use it.

âNo one is going to make them do it. No one is going to slap sanctions on them or send in the sixth fleet, it is up to them.â

Despite the fact that there is no enforcement mechanism, the agreement carries weight, says Meyer.

This is why COPs are so bitterly contested, and why so many terrible compromises are extracted.

Understand what is happening to the environment, whatâs being done about it and what it means for future. Sign up for updates here.

Nick O'Malley is National Environment and Climate Editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is also a senior writer and a former US correspondent.Connect via email.

Chinese dissident artist defies Beijing in Italian show

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 02:41:00 +0000

Exhibiting a torture instrument as an innocent rocking chair, Chinese dissident artist Badiucao mocks the propaganda of Beijing in a new show -- while appropriating its codes.

Defying calls from the Chinese government to cancel it, the northern Italian city of Brescia is hosting the first international solo exhibition by the 35-year-old artist and exile from China who lives in Australia.

Badiucao's works are "full of anti-Chinese lies" that "jeopardise the friendly relations between China and Italy", charged Beijing's embassy in Rome in a letter sent last month to Brescia's town hall.

But the city stood its ground.

"None of us in Brescia, neither in the city council nor among the citizens, had the slightest doubt about this exhibition going ahead," Deputy Mayor Laura Castelletti told AFP.

Brescia, known for its Roman ruins, has a long tradition of welcoming dissidents, painters and writers, in the "defence of artistic freedom", she said.

The last was in 2019, with the works of Kurdish artist Zehra Dogan, who spent nearly three years in jail in Turkey.

The new show, "China is (not) near -- works of a dissident artist", which opened Friday, denounces political repression in China and the country's censorship of the origins of the coronavirus, two explosive subjects for Beijing.

The exhibit, whose title is an allusion to a famous Italian film from 1967, "China Is Near", runs until February 13 at the Santa Giulia museum.

In an interview with AFP, Badiucao -- who has been called "the Chinese Banksy" -- said he was "very happy and proud" that the city "had the courage to say 'no' to China to defend fundamental rights."

- 'Death threats' -

"I want to use my art to expose the lies, to expose the problems of the Chinese government, to criticise the Chinese government, however on the other hand it's also celebrating the Chinese people, for how brave Chinese people are... even when they have been subjected to this very harsh environment with an authoritarian government," Badiucao said, speaking in English.

Plans for a Hong Kong show in 2018 fell through after pressure on the artist and his entourage, said the bespectacled Badiucao, who sports a long, shaggy beard.

"The national security police went to intimidate my family in Shanghai," he said, adding they threatened to "send officers" to the opening if the exhibit were held.

Among the works exhibited in Brescia that have provoked the ire of Beijing is a famous image of Chinese President Xi Jinping merged with the face of Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, to illustrate the erosion of self-rule in the former British colony.

The Chinese Communist Party "thinks that all free artists are its enemies, that's why it hates me so much," said Badiucao, who added that he receives "daily death threats" on social media.

Due to heavy censorship, he said he only learned decades later as a university student studying law in China about the government's brutal 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square.

He decided to dedicate himself to art, moving to Australia in 2009 and only revealing his identity publically on its 30th anniversary a decade later.

Another of his works depicts 64 watches painted with the artist's own blood, representing those given to Chinese soldiers, according to Badiucao, as a reward for their participation in the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The exhibition also pays tribute to "Tank Man", the unknown man wearing a white shirt and carrying two plastic shopping bags who stood up to advancing tanks.

In a nod to current events, the tanks remodelled by Badiucao are topped by balls resembling the Covid-19 virus under a microscope.

- Sidestepping censors -

Hung on one of the museum's walls are pages from a diary of a resident of Wuhan, epicentre of the pandemic, who managed to circumvent the censorship to recount his daily life at the start of the confinement.

The dissident said there is no doubt Beijing is responsible for the pandemic, alleging that it failed to heed warnings over the coronavirus' first appearance in Wuhan in late 2019.

The exhibition "has no intention of offending the Chinese people or Chinese culture and civilisation", the president of the Brescia Museums Foundation, Francesca Bazoli, said.

In showing these works, she added, "we support freedom of expression".

It is an emergency situation SC on air pollution in Delhi-NCR suggets lockdown

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:08:00 +0000

The top court also took note of the fact that schools have opened in the national capital

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Saturday termed the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR an "emergency" situation and asked the Centre and the Delhi government to take emergency measures to improve the air quality.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said the situation of pollution is so bad that people are wearing masks inside their houses.

"Everybody has the passion of blaming farmers. Have you seen how crackers are being burnt in Delhi for the last seven days? It is an emergency situation, multiple measures are needed to be taken on the ground level," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant, said.

The apex court has asked the Centre to revert on Monday

The top court also took note of the fact that schools have opened in the national capital and asked the authorities to take immediate measures such as stopping vehicles or imposing a lockdown in Delhi.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said there is stubble burning in Punjab.

The bench, however, said, "Your projection is as if farmers are only responsible. What about steps taken to contain the pollution in Delhi?

Mehta clarified that he was not even remotely suggesting that only farmers are responsible.

Kaiser Permanente Reaches Pact With Unions and Averts Strike

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 21:49:00 +0000

Bloomberg â" Kaiser Permanente reached a tentative agreement with unions, averting what could have been the largest strike yet this year. The averted strike would have involved more than 30,000 workers from nurses and pharmacists to janitors and locksmiths.

The health-care company reached the agreement on a four-year contract covering 50,000 employees in 22 local unions, the Alliance of Health Care Unions said in a joint statement Saturday.

Workers were planning to walk out of hospitals across mostly the U.S. West Coast on Monday morning, a move that could have disrupted a health-care system recovering from the damage of the Covid-19 pandemic and as U.S. hospitals confront a new wave of infections heading into the winter.

âThese were challenging negotiations, but this tentative agreement demonstrates the strength of our labor management partnership and the unique success it can achieve,â said Christian Meisner, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Kaiser.

The agreement includes:

Guaranteed wage increases each year through 2025 in every region
No reductions in health benefits
Maintaining retirement benefits
Addition of bonus plans
New safe staffing and workload language
Workers are stepping up labor actions across the country, demanding better pay, benefits and conditions, partly driven by a tight labor market and pandemic fatigue. More than 100,000 workers have recently either threatened or gone on strike â" including ongoing actions by 10,000 Deere & Co. employees and 1,400 workers from Kellogg Co.

Kaiserâs health-care workers helped carry the U.S. through the pandemic and âthey should see a fair return on what is now a very, very profitable company,â AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an interview on Bloomberg Televisionâs âBalance of Power With David Westinâ on Friday. Workers are saying âenough is enough,â she said.

Two-Tier Pay

For the unions, the agreement alleviated issues including a contract proposed by Kaiserâs management, which included a 2% wage increase and established what union representatives called a two-tiered wage system that would compensate newer employees at lower rates than existing ones, or adjust rates based on where workers are located. With this agreement, that two-tiered system has been taken off the table.

âThis contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing, and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every alliance member,â said Hal Ruddick, executive director, Alliance of Health Care Unions.

The tentative pact, which may take several weeks to ratify, was reached a day after Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and seven Democratic colleagues spoke out against the two-tier pay proposal and urged Kaiser to increase its pay offer. âConsidering your recent profit margins, we find this offer to be demeaning and unacceptable,â they wrote.

Read: Kaiser Permanente Workers Deserve âFairâ Deal: U.S. Senators

Kaiser said earlier that wages and benefits make up half of the institutionâs total operating costs, and adjusting them will help lower the rising price of health-care. Its union-represented employees earn about 26% above the average market wage, the company said, and in some places, 38% higher.

The true scope of the walkout could have been even larger than the 30,000 in California, Oregon and Washington: They would have joined more than 750 Kaiser stationery and biomedical engineers that have been picketing for the past two months, and other affiliated one-day strikes could have follow across the country.

Kaiser has long been considered âthe nationâs largest, longest-lasting labor-management partnershipâ and the gold standard in how companies can work hand in hand with unions, Steven Greenhouse wrote in his book âBeaten Down, Worked Up.â That relationship has weakened in recent years, organizers said, as turnover at the executive level and the death in 2019 of Kaiserâs more union-friendly CEO, Bernard Tyson, meant institutional knowledge and support was lost.

Pandemicâs Impact

Many U.S. hospitals were already hurting before the pandemic as more profitable elective procedures moved to outpatient settings and rural hospitals coped with declining and aging populations. Then, the virus shut down normal operations and hit facilities with even sicker patients.

A survey by health-care practice advisory firm BDO USA this year showed that only 27% of U.S. hospitals had more than 60 daysâ cash on hand. The American Hospital Association, meanwhile, estimates the pandemic will have cost the approximately 6,000 U.S. hospitals almost $400 billion by the end of this year.

Workers argue that Kaiser has largely shook off the upheaval. Kaiserâs annual operating revenue reached $88.7 billion in 2020, compared with $47.9 billion in 2011, according to its annual report. Union leaders say the health system earned $6 million a day in profit during the pandemic.

A survey of more than 20,000 health-care workers during the pandemic found that nearly half reported feeling burned out, with the effects more pronounced among women who dominate in fields like nursing. Other studies found that between 20% to 30% of frontline health-care workers were considering exiting the profession entirely.

This disillusionment, paired with a national workforce shortage, has strained workers even though a strike would have the potential for broad disruption for patients.

âThe direct care workforce does not take striking lightly because theyâre really committed to their patients,â said Eileen Boris, the Hull Chair and a professor of feminist studies and history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. âBut they understand that the conditions of work are also the conditions of care.â

(Adds detail, comments from sixth paragraph.)
â"With assistance from Josh Eidelson and Lauren Coleman-Lochner.

Delegates poised to accept imperfect Cop26 text live updates

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 19:30:00 +0000

Alok Sharma thanks the conference for agreeing âsomething meaningful for our people and our planetâ and that keeps 1.5C alive.

Alok Sharma has just started the final session of Cop26 talks in Glasgow

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Rachel Kennerley, has said:

The road to 1.5C just got harder when these talks should have cleared the way to making it a whole lot easier. The Glasgow get-out clause means that leaders failed to phase out fossil fuels and the richest countries wonât pay historic climate debt. With the Cop moment over, countries should break away from the pack in their race for meaningful climate action and let history judge the laggards.

The UK, as a country with huge historical responsibility for emissions, can end support for a mega-gas project in Mozambique, pull the plug on the Cambo oil field, stop the new coal mine in Cumbria and drilling for oil in Surrey. After all the Prime Minister talked a big game at the beginning of the fortnight.

Alok Sharma has just asked delegates to take their seats and says the final session will start shortly. As a final agreement appears near, there is praise from some commentators:

James Murray (@James_BG)

I understand the impulse to condemn the proposed COP26 agreement as inadequate given the scale of the crisis, but it really is a lot better than its critics are claiming.

November 13, 2021 roger harrabin (@RHarrabin)

#COP26 awaiting final plenary. Looks likely a package will be agreed, but there's been a row with India. I must say there's widely held view that the UK has done very well at this COP. Especially with the ludicrously named #GlasgowBreakthroughs

November 13, 2021

But the lack of âloss and damage facilityâ in the final agreement has been criticised. âLoss and damageâ is the phrase for the destruction already being wreaked by the climate crisis on lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

Global Justice Now (@GlobalJusticeUK)

âLoss and damageâ is the reparations countries hardest hit by (and least responsible for) climate change are demanding from the countries that caused it. The #CoP26 deal acknowledges the concept but stops there. 2/ https://t.co/lotrbn5jCg

November 13, 2021

And this from Oxfam International executive director Gabriela Bucher:

Clearly some world leaders think they arenât living on the same planet as the rest of us. It seems no amount of fires, rising sea levels or droughts will bring them to their senses to stop increasing emissions at the expense of humanity.

The request to strengthen 2030 reduction targets by next year is an important step. The work starts now. Big emitters, especially rich countries, must heed the call and align their targets to give us the best possible chance of keeping 1.5 degrees within reach. Despite years of talks, emissions continue to rise, and we are dangerously close to losing this race against time.

Developing countries, representing over 6 billion people, put forward a loss and damage finance facility to build back in the aftermath of extreme weather events linked to climate change. Not only did rich countries block this, all they would agree to is limited funding for technical assistance and a âdialogueâ. This derisory outcome is tone deaf to the suffering of millions of people both now and in the future.

For the first time, a goal for adaptation finance was agreed. The commitment to double is below what developing countries asked for and need, but if realised it will increase support to developing countries by billions.

Itâs painful that diplomatic efforts have once more failed to meet the scale of this crisis. But we should draw strength from the growing movement of people around the world challenging and holding our governments to account for everything we hold dear. A better world is possible. With creativity, with bravery, we can and must hold onto that belief.

Reaction to what appears to be the final text now coming in.

Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan said:

Itâs meek, itâs weak and the 1.5C goal is only just alive, but a signal has been sent that the era of coal is ending. And that matters. While the deal recognises the need for deep emissions cuts this decade, those commitments have been punted to next year.

Glasgow was meant to deliver on firmly closing the gap to 1.5C and that didnât happen, but in 2022 nations will now have to come back with stronger targets.

Cop26 saw progress on adaptation, with the developed countries finally beginning to respond to the calls of developing countries for funding and resources to cope with rising temperatures. There was a recognition that vulnerable countries are suffering real loss and damage from the climate crisis now, but what was promised was nothing close to whatâs needed on the ground. This issue must be at the top of the agenda for developed countries as the Cop goes to Egypt next year.

The line on phasing out unabated coal and fossil fuel subsidies is weak and compromised but its very existence is nevertheless a breakthrough, and the focus on a just transition is essential. The call for emissions reductions of 45% by the end of this decade is in line with what we need to do to stay under 1.5C and brings the science firmly into this deal. But it needs to be implemented.

The offsets scam got a boost in Glasgow with the creation of new loopholes that are too big to tolerate, endangering nature, Indigenous Peoples and the 1.5C goal itself. The UN Secretary General announced that a group of experts will bring vital scrutiny to offset markets, but much work still needs to be done to stop the greenwashing, cheating and loopholes giving big emitters and corporations a pass.

Meanwhile, on the topic of fossil fuels, in London today police have been arresting Extinction Rebellion protesters blocking the lord mayorâs show.

Demonstrators say Cop26 talks have failed and called on City banks to stop funding fossil fuel projects.

Footage shared on social media showed officers dragging demonstrators out of the road after they disrupted the procession.

Miranda Duncombe, a mother and member of the XR Families group, told PA Media:

Cop has failed to deliver the transformative changes needed to keep us at 1.5C of warming, a complete betrayal of our children. If the City of London was a country, it would be the ninth largest emitter in the world. The Cityâs banks and asset managers provide loans and investments for the projects and companies that are killing us.

It seems the final agreement will be known as the âGlasgow Climate Pactâ... Itâs 10 pages in total if you fancy reading it.

The wording on fossil fuels (Iâve added the bold formatting) is as follows:

âCalls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up the deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures, including accelerating efforts towards the phase-out of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, recognizing the need for support towards a just transition.â

Alok Sharma concludes his remarks saying the âtext is imperfectâ but that there is âconsensus and support for itâ. He then adjourns the meeting to give everyone a little break, but promises to start the final session very shortly.

His advisor has just posted on Twitter confirming that the next session will be the closing one of the conference. Cop26, it seems, will not be extending into Sunday. Time to pack your bags and grab a last souvenir folks (in Glasgow). I can wholeheartedly recommend veggie haggis.

Camilla Born (@camillaborn)

ð¨ Process update: #COP26 informal plenary will go straight to the closing plenary

All texts have been converted to l-documents and you can find them here https://t.co/KmFDn4AC55 pic.twitter.com/5rS7pAOi43

November 13, 2021

Alok Sharma now wrapping up the session. As my colleagues have reported, it appears an agreement is imminent.

I hope we can leave this conference united having delivered something significant for our people and planet together as one. These outcomes constitute an extremely delicate balance. If any of us tug at that it will all unravel. That is the sentiment I have heard this afternoon.

Damian Carrington (@dpcarrington)

"Stay in the room," says @AlokSharma_RDG to national delegates at #COP26 - we're nearing the conclusion of the summit with a deal Sharma acknowledges as "imperfect" but almost all nations see a step forward
is it enough? of course not

November 13, 2021

Nicaragua says it will support the draft agreement. Guatemala also lends its support, saying it takes a âglass half fullâ perspective on it.

The New Zealand delegate is downbeat and calls the agreement âthe least worst outcomeâ. He says:

Is it enough to hold temperatures to 1.5C? I donât think I can say it does?

But he says more talking and delay would be worse and supports the text.

Oil-rich Iranâs delegate is not happy with the landmark text in the Cop26 deal that requires the phase out of fossil fuel subsidies. âAs a developing nation we need to use fossil fuels for economic development. We request you modify this paragraph.â I suspect that is not going to happen, given the widespread support for the text from other nations.

As negotiations come to an end at Cop26, what has been the perspectives of the thousands of activists who have been in Glasgow over the past two weeks of talks? The Guardian spoke to activists on the ground to find out their verdicts on the conference.

The representative for Trinidad and Tobago believe the package represents balance: there has been progress on adaptation finance, and on returning to the table next year, although the moves on loss and damage could have been stronger. He finishes by calling for everyone to return home now to begin implementation. Hear hear!

Indonesia, similiarly, sees some flaws but is prepared to support the text in the âspirit of collaborationâ which has been mentioned by so many of the other delegates.

The Colombian delegate says: âThis agreement is keeping 1.5C alive, although it is not perfect.â That goal - keeping that temperature target within reach and avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis - was the key ambition of the UK presidency of Cop26.

The Iceland representative says that there is a lot of encouragement here today, and most importantly there is hope. âWeâre keeping 1.5 alive,â he tells the plenary, and it will be continued in the spirit of cooperation.

âThe next time we meet, weâll do better, and the time after that, even better.â

After him, the representative for Chile points out that the negotiations have been under way for months and now is too late to make substantive changes. It is imperfect, he says. But Chile supports it.

With the end seemingly in sight, the reaction to Cop26 has already started:

Saleemul Huq (@SaleemulHuq)

The Spinning game is about to begin! @COP26 Presidency under @AlokSharma_RDG and @BorisJohnson have certainly failed the vulnerable developing countries in Glasgow. We will take up the struggle again in COP27 next year in Egypt! https://t.co/4b9bVI3B3t

November 13, 2021 Michael Holder (@michaelholder)

After initial misgivings voiced by China, India and others, there seems to be a growing willingness from many parties to accept the draft texts broadly as they stand.

Many describing the text as "imperfect but possible".

No one wants to leave Glasgow without a deal. #COP26

November 13, 2021

Churches and mill site remain on Bolton at risk list

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 07:36:00 +0000

SEVERAL churches, a sprawling mill and the old Horwich Loco Works all feature in the 2021 register of at-risk buildings published by a watchdog.

Historic England has published a rolling record of the condition of listed buildings across the country, and rates them according to their rate of decay, and whether a solution has been found to tackle the deterioration.

Two of the churches deemed in most peril by the conservation group are St James, in Roscow Avenue, Breightmet, and St James in Daisy Hill.

An assessment by Historic England says of the Breightmet church that it is âat risk because of extensive nail fatigue, resulting in a rapidly failing slate roof.

âThere is also significant structural movement at the head of the tower staircase.â

The inspection noted that a minor repair grant had been forthcoming from the Taylor Review in 2019 to assist with repairs to âthe roof, stonework and rainwater goodsâ.

And when considering St James, Daisy Hill, the conservationists reported: âVegetation has become established in the joints of the dual-pitched capping to the turret.

âThis vegetation is now causing displacement of slates with the attendant danger of falling material. The area around the base of the turret is now cordoned off.â

Much of the remaining places of worship are considered to be the victims of âslow decayâ, and their rating is then graded by whether a plan of action has been agreed for the edifice in question, or not.

These include the grade II* listed Ukranian Catholic Church, which dates back to 1869, and Bolton Methodist Mission, St Matthewâs Little Lever, Holy Trinity Prestolee, St Chadâs Tonge Fold, St Catherineâs Horwich and St Paulâs Ramsbottom.

The grade II* listed and part-occupied Swan Lane Mill No. 3, completed in 1914, is in a âpoorâ state.

Two other designations - conservation areas for Horwich Loco Works and Birley Street in Bolton, were said to be in âvery badâ and âpoorâ conditions respectively.

Thousands protest Covid-19 tyranny in Melbourne VIDEOS

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 05:14:00 +0000

Thousands of Australians took to the streets of Melbourne to protest both a vaccine mandate and a proposed bill which would give Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews more power to declare a pandemic and impose lockdowns.

The large group of protesters, which included children and the elderly, carried Australian flags and marched through Melbourneâs Central Business District on Saturday, calling for the dismissal of their premier with chants of âSack Dan Andrews!â

Craig Kelly, a United Australia Party MP for the Division of Hughes, NSW, took part in the protest and called for the premier powers bill to be killed. On social media, Kelly wrote that the demonstration stood âagainst tyranny,â âagainst dictators,â and âagainst human rights abusersâ in an apparent dig at Andrews.

Saturdayâs protest was just the latest in a string of Melbourne protests since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the latest of several protests in the city to specifically target the proposed bill.

Melbourne ð¦ðº Anti Everything ð"¥ Amazing Scenes Unfolding, huge crowds, even the kids are baying for Andrew's Blood. Long Live Freedom ð' pic.twitter.com/uBIIQfADkN

â" ðððððððð½ððððð (@risemelbourne) November 13, 2021

The Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 passed Victoriaâs lower house last month and is set to go through the stateâs upper house next week.

The controversial bill would replace Victoriaâs current state of emergency laws and give more power to the premier to declare a âstate of pandemicâ and subsequently implement lockdown restrictions â" circumventing the approval of the chief health officer, who has traditionally had final say in such declarations.

The bill has received heavy criticism, including from Victoriaâs bar association, which expressed âgrave concernsâ about the proposed legislation and warned that such a bill would give âeffectively unlimited power to rule the state by decreeâ without oversight.

Demonstrators on Saturday also protested against a Victoria vaccine mandate which came into effect this week and requires construction workers in the state to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to work.

Melbourne has experienced some of the longest and strictest Covid-19 lockdowns in the world. Last month, as the city's sixth lockdown came to an end, Melbourne's total number of days in lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic totalled 262.

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Britney Spears hails best day ever as conservatorship is ended

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 02:49:00 +0000

The 39-year-old pop star is now free to make her own medical, financial and personal decisions for the first time in nearly 14 years.

A judge in the United States has ended the conservatorship that has controlled Britney Spearsâ life and money for nearly 14 years, in a decision that the singer said marked her âbest day everâ.

The decision on Friday capped a stunning five-month odyssey that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own lawyer, have her father removed from the arrangement and finally win the freedom to make her own medical, financial and personal decisions for the first time since 2008.

âEffective today, the conservatorship of the person and the estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated,â Judge Brenda Penny said in announcing her decision.

Spears was not present in court, but said in an Instagram post, âI love my fans so much itâs crazy!!! I think Iâm gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever.â

The move to end the conservatorship was expected, with little support left for prolonging the legal arrangement.

Key to the unravelling was a speech Spears made at a hearing in June when she passionately described the restrictions and scrutiny of her life as âabusiveâ. She demanded that the conservatorship end without any prying evaluation of her mental state.

Legal experts at the time said that was unlikely to happen, and would represent a departure from common court practice.

But a judge allowed her to hire a lawyer of her choice, Mathew Rosengart, at a July hearing in which she again complained about the grief the conservatorship caused and demanded that it end.

Rosengart made it his goal first to have James Spears removed from his role as conservator of his daughterâs finances before working to end the conservatorship altogether. The judge suspended James Spears at a September hearing, citing the âtoxic environmentâ his presence created.

Rosengart has further vowed to pursue an investigation of James Spearsâ role in the conservatorship. He said he and his team have found mismanagement of Britney Spearsâ finances, suggesting she could pursue further legal action. Court records put her net worth at about $60m.

Fans came together and demanded that the court #FreeBritney [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]

He also said that law enforcement should investigate revelations in a New York Times documentary about a listening device placed in her bedroom.

James Spearsâ attorneys said Rosengartâs allegations ranged from unsubstantiated to impossible, and that he only ever acted in his daughterâs best interests.

The post-conservatorship fight has in some ways already begun. James Spears has parted ways with the lawyers who helped him operate it, and he has hired Alex Weingarten, a lawyer specialising in the kind of litigation that may be coming.

In court filings last week, Britney Spearsâ former business managers, Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, pushed back against Rosengartâs demands for documents about the firmâs involvement in the conservatorship from 2008 to 2018. The group also denied any role in or knowledge of any surveillance of the singer.

Jodi Montgomery, the court-appointed conservator who oversaw the singerâs life and medical decisions starting in 2019, developed a care plan with her therapists and doctors to guide Spears through the end of the conservatorship and its aftermath.

Britney Spears was a 26-year-old new mother at the height of her career when her father established the conservatorship in February 2008 after a series of public mental health struggles. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement.

The conservatorship has controlled Britney Spearsâ life and money for nearly 14 years [File: Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, but is finally coming to an end a few weeks before her 40th birthday, with her sons in their mid-teens and her career on indefinite hold.

A turning point came early in 2019 when she cancelled a planned concert residency in Las Vegas.

Convinced she was put in a mental hospital against her will, fans began to come together to demand that the court #FreeBritney. At first, they were dismissed as conspiracy theorists, but the singer herself gave them validation in 2020 in a series of court filings that said they were correct to demand greater transparency and scrutiny of her legal situation.

Those filings proved to be the first indication from Spears â" who had remained silent on the conservatorship for years â" that she would seek major changes.

Russian planes intercepted by Belgian jets over North Sea Netherlands

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:26:00 +0000

AMSTERDAM -- Two Russian strategic bombers were intercepted by Belgian F-16 fighter planes after entering NATO airspace over the North Sea on Friday, the Dutch Defence Ministry said.

The planes, identified by the ministry as Tu-160 "Blackjack" supersonic bombers, were then escorted further by the British Air Force.

"Russian military aircraft occasionally enter NATO airspace without identifying themselves," the statement said. "The fighter jets followed the Russians until the British Royal Air Force took over the escort."

NATO planes are scrambled from either the Netherlands or Belgium when an aircraft flies near or into Dutch airspace without making radio contact, it said.

(Editing by Kevin Liffey)

De luchtgevechtsleiding heeft 2 @BeAirForce F-16âs gealarmeerd. Ze zijn onderweg naar 2 Russische TU-160 vliegtuigen die mogelijk het Nederlands verantwoordelijkheidsgebied in vliegen. De toestellen worden nu begeleid door @Luftforsvaret. Meer informatie volgt.

â" Koninklijke Luchtmacht (@Kon_Luchtmacht) November 12, 2021

Vladimir Putins hybrid warfare a huge threat to democracies of Europe he despises

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 19:42:00 +0000

Russian President Vladimir Putin presents a huge threat to Europe by employing what NATO commanders call hybrid warfare.

He builds up his military, extending overtly Russiaâs might whilst employing other sneaky probing actions which fall beneath the threshold of warfare.

These are cyber attacks, spreading damaging propaganda such as manipulating through social media conspiracy theories related to Covid-19 and other issues.

Anything to spark civil unrest through the West undermines the democracies he despises.

His spies throughout Ukraine and the wider region have for years planted distrust of the West among dissident groups.

Moscowâs agents have played a brilliant role in quite wrongly feeding a pro-Russian mistrust of the Kiev government.

Do you agree? Have your say in the comment section

A show of strength as servicemen stand in formation during the closing ceremony of the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2021 military drills in Kazan Russia, on November 12 ( Yegor Aleyev/TASS)

We have come to know Ukraine as a fairly liberal democracy which is a friend of NATO.

So Moscow continues to chip away at the border, gradually using its military on the offensive and other methods inside the country just below the threshold of war.

In 2014 Russian troops flooded Crimea almost overnight in an almost bloodless coup, annexing the Ukrainian territory within a matter of days.

US warns allies that Russia could invade Ukraine as tensions in the region soar Russia on brink of Ukraine invasion with thousands of troops amassed close to border

Russiaâs muscle-flexing against Ukraine can only go so far without action and NATO is understandably nervous.

Previous false alarms have been taken seriously and then western commanders have been made to relax again when it has not happened.

This creates a nervy, edgy and constant state of alert which in turn makes the enemy feel over-exposed to the risk of war.

It could all be a very long game but Moscow could strike at any moment - when Putin thinks the time is right.

He knows only too well the approaching Winter might be a good time to do just this - when the ground is solid for tanks and the weather might least suit NATO troops.

But when America says it has viable intelligence and its precise details cannot be shared it may be time to take the threat seriously.

Read More UK sends 'small team' of armed forces to Poland amid rising tensions at Belarus border Read More British Typhoon jets intercept two Russian bombers, Royal Air Force confirms

WhatsApp Big Update Check Upcoming Feature

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 10:03:00 +0000

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WhatsApp is preparing to introduce a new option to its Privacy Settings that would allow users to conceal their last seen from âMy Contacts Except.â The messaging platform now has three options for users: Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody.

Everyone can view your last seen in the Everyone option, as the name implies, however only the contacts saved on your phone can see your last seen in the âMy Contactsâ section. Nobody will be able to see when you were last active on WhatsApp if you select the third âNobodyâ option.

The three options are also available for profile images and about sections on WhatsApp, in addition to last seen. As a result, the new âMy Contacts Exceptâ setting will apply to all three options.

The messaging app owned by Meta has begun to push out a beta version of the âMy Contacts Exceptâ feature. The earliest reports claiming that WhatsApp would implement the impending Privacy feature surfaced in September 2021.

WhatsApp has begun rolling out the functionality on the Android beta app, allowing users to try out the âMy Contacts Exceptâ feature ahead of the official rollout. The feature will be available to WhatsApp beta testers in the appâs beta edition. Also see: Sapphire Foods India IPO is 6.62 times subscribed; see allotment and listing date

Users who want to use the new functionality will be unable to see the last seen, profile photo, or about section details of users added to the âMy Contacts Exceptâ list.

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Zach Fucale posts shutout in NHL debut Capitals blank Red Wings

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 07:45:00 +0000

DETROIT â" Zach Fucale became the first goaltender in Capitals history to post a shutout in his NHL debut, stopping 21 shots as Washington beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 Thursday night.

Dmitry Orlov and Lars Eller scored 10 seconds apart in the first period as the Capitals ended Detroitâs three-game win streak.

The 26-year-old Fucale was picked by Montreal in the second round of the 2013 draft. He was 3-0-2 this season for Hershey before the Capitals called him up this week from the American Hockey League.

Fucale was the first goaltender to shut out the Red Wings in his NHL debut in Detroitâs 95 seasons.

Alex Ovechkin had an assist on the first goal for the Capitals, who opened a stretch of seven games in 11 days.

Orlovâs second goal of the season came off a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov at 12:43.

Eller scored his first goal after a takeaway from Nick Jensen.

Thomas Greiss made 27 saves for the Red Wings, who killed four penalties but could not convert on their four power-play chances.

NOTES

Capitals: Fucale was the fifth Capitals player to make his NHL debut this season. Washington was without T.J. Oshie (left foot) for the sixth straight game, Anthony Mantha (shoulder) for the third straight game and Nic Dowd for the first game since Mondayâs lower-body injury against Buffalo. Nicklas Backstrom (hip) has not played this season.

Red Wings: Detroit was going for its first four-game win streak since March 2019.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Play at Columbus on Friday.

Red Wings: Host Montreal on Saturday.

Im begging you Get vaccinated Yukon premier implores public while announcing rise in COVID-19 cases

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 05:20:00 +0000

Yukon Premier Sandy Silver implored all Yukoners on Wednesday to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying there has been "widespread and untraceable" community transmission in Whitehorse.

"Please, I'm begging you: Get vaccinated," Silver said. He noted a "high risk of COVID-19 exposure throughout the city and increased risk in our rural communities."

Silver made the comments alongside the Yukon's acting Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Catherine Elliott, while they gave an update on the territory's COVID-19 situation.

Of 156 active cases in Yukon Wednesday, 108 were in Whitehorse, Elliott said.

WATCH | Yukon Premier Sandy Silver talks about fast-tracking new measures:

Yukon fast-tracking proof of vaccine requirementAs part of a response to 'widespread and untraceable' transmission of COVID-19 in Whitehorse, Yukon Premier Sandy Silver said the government is fast-tracking a proof of vaccine requirement for designated settings. 1:17

Earlier this week, the Yukon government declared a state of emergency after the territory reported 80 new COVID-19 infections over a three-day period, and announced new health regulations, including a proof-of-vaccination requirement.

While the new rules take effect Saturday, the territory said in a statement that Yukoners are "strongly encouraged" to adopt the measures immediately.

One of the measures is mandatory proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in designated settings for those aged 12 and up.

Proof of vaccination will be needed at bars, restaurants, gyms, recreation facilities, art galleries, theatres, and hair and nail salons, but not to access essential services like health care, grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, public transportation and shelters, the territory said in a news release.

The release said a free Yukon-specific QR code reader app is being developed so local businesses and organizations can verify vaccination status.

People can show paper or digital copies of their proof of vaccination credentials, and they'll need to show a piece of government-issued ID.

WATCH | Missed the news conference? Watch it here:

With community transmission in Whitehorse, the territory is no longer issuing exposure notices since it considers all community activities to be a potential source of transmission. Flight exposures will continue until Nov. 15, at which point they will discontinue, as the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is also ending its COVID-19 flight exposure reporting, Elliott said.

She recommended avoiding travel between communities, and while schools can remain open, students should wear masks at their desks.

Vaccination rates on the rise

When asked how the territory went from few measures to a state of emergency, Elliott cited the circulation of a highly transmissible variant and people having more gatherings indoors due to cooler weather.

"We have a more transmissible virus that's causing severe illness amongst younger people, young adults. We haven't seen that in the past," she said. "It's winter. People are moving indoors and people are having large number of contacts."

Asked why school sports were suspended but club sports and recreational sports were allowed to continue, Elliott said it's a "short lived, temporary measure that we are using to reduce group sizes and contact sizes and mixing.

"I'm hoping that we'll be able to get these things back and going as soon as possible."

Vaccination rates have been on the rise too with over 90 per cent of those 12 years and older with first doses and 86 per cent with second doses, she said.

"Each person who gets their shot is a person who is more protected, less likely to get infected to spread the virus and to get severely ill," Elliott said.

Frontline workers being mistreated

Silver said the territory has heard that community nurses and other frontline staff are being insulted, verbally abused and even physically abused by people who are angry about the new requirements.

"There are growing concerns about their safety. This is absolutely unacceptable and it needs to stop," Silver said.

"Our territory has a dedicated team of healthcare professionals that have been working flat out for 20 months to help all of us â" to help our families, our neighbours, our friends â" to stay healthy and safe," he said.

"Not very Yukon of us."

Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change Or Keep Burning Coal You Cant Have Both

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 03:01:00 +0000

Matthew Horwood / Getty Images

An aerial view at an opencast coal mine in Wales in November 2021

At the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, diplomats put down on paper, for the first time, the collective need to accelerate phasing out coal and fossil fuels subsidies to meet their climate goals in a draft statement released Wednesday.

Countries can either keep using coal at current levels or limit future warming to the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) target of the Paris climate agreement. Itâs impossible to do both. But this scientific reality has been an elephant in the room of high-level international climate negotiations for years â" until now.

âItâs significant,â Helen Mountford, a vice president at World Resources Institute, told reporters. âWeâve never had a text like that before.â

Still, this new declaration isnât final, has no timeline or other details, and comes along with some murky country-specific pledges. This incongruity on coal captures the central tension playing out at the high-profile climate talks in Glasgow: the glaring gaps between what countries must do to halt the worsening climate crisis, what countries say they will do in the future, and what they are actually doing now.

âWeâll see if that text sticks,â Mountford later said. âWeâre hoping it will. Itâs a really important and concrete action that countries can take to actually deliver on their commitments.â

Outside the climate negotiations, protesters pushed for the language to stay in. According to the Washington Post, they chanted: ââFossil fuelsâ on paper nowâ and âKeep it in the text.â

Even United Nations Secretary-General AntÃ³nio Guterres expressed frustration with the negotiations on Thursday, saying that country-level âpromises ring hollow when the fossil fuel industry still receives trillions in subsidies, as measured by the IMF. Or when countries are still building coal plants.â

With current climate policies in place, the world is on track to warm more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century compared to preindustrial levels. Even the most up-to-date tallies of current pledges for future climate action put the world on track to heat up 1.8 degrees Celsius. This means that even if all the countries actually deliver on their most ambitious promises â" a big if â" weâll still overshoot the key Paris goal by 0.3 degrees. This may seem like a minor difference, but the science is abundantly clear that every tenth of a degree is disastrous for humanity: more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires; more sea level rise; and, ultimately, more suffering.

The science is also clear that coal is just awful for the climate. Coal is the most carbon-intensive energy source, responsible for about 40% of carbon emissions tied to global fossil fuel use

Thatâs why a growing number of officials are saying that ditching coal is among the most important steps to take for tackling climate change. Just last week, for example, Canadian environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault said in Glasgow: âEnding emissions of coal power is one of the single most important steps we must take to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement and the 1.5 degree target.â

Christoph Soeder / Getty Images

AntÃ³nio Guterres, UN secretary-general, speaks at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)

Climate modeling results published last month by the International Energy Agency show that thereâs no way to limit future global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, let alone to 1.5 degrees Celsius, without a reduction in current coal use.

IEAâs most aggressive scenario for cutting emissions lays out a road map of how to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieve ânet-zeroâ emissions (when the balance of carbon going into the atmosphere equals whatâs coming out, via carbon capture, plant life, and other sources of removal). Called the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 or NZE scenario, it involves the halting of new coal plants and reducing emissions from the about 2,100 gigawatts of currently operating power plants globally.

âItâs entirely gone from the power sector,â IEA modeler Daniel Crow said about coal in that scenario. âUnabated coal is entirely gone.â

A very small amount of coal would remain, likely relying on carbon capture and storage technology to pull resulting carbon emissions directly out of the atmosphere.

Pavel Mikheyev / Reuters

Railway carriages loaded with coal are seen at a railway station in the town of Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan, Nov. 8, 2021

IEA executive director Fatih Birol took this message to Glasgow at an event organized by the Powering Past Coal Alliance, an organization launched in 2017 devoted to ending coal use. So far, 165 countries, regions, cities, and businesses have signed on. That includes the 28 new members announced at the ongoing climate conference.

In many cases, participating countries have outlined phase-out deadlines: Ukraine committed to ending coal use by 2035, Croatia set a deadline of 2033, and Estonia is already coal-free.

âFor our part in the UK, weâve reduced the use of coal for electricity down to be incredibly less than 2% of our total usage,â said Greg Hands, cochair of the alliance and a UK minister, at the event. âAnd it will be gone from our energy mix entirely by 2024.â

But in a sign of how messy the international politics on coal are, a separate but overlapping coalition to end coal launched the same day in Glasgow. This second group signed the new âGlobal Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement,â committing to, among other things, âend all investment in new coal power generation domestically and internationallyâ and âphase out coal power in economies in the 2030s for major economies and 2040s for the rest of the world.â

Catherine McKenna, Canadaâs former environment minister who helped launch the Powering Past Coal Alliance, called out the second coalition for lowering the bar on climate action: Powering Past Coal requires all countries to phase out coal before 2040.

Enough with new initiatives - especially ones that weaken price of entry & do nothing to reduce emissions. Countries need to do the work & implement the commitments they've made (like ð¨ð¦ is doing). No more ribbons for showing up. Only when you finish the race: 1.5 degrees. #COP26 https://t.co/fLZIpIwXWJ

11:00 PM - 05 Nov 2021 Twitter: @cathmckenna / Via twitter

One of the most significant signatories of the new statement was Poland, a country that heavily relies on coal. Poland boasted one of the 25 largest GDPs in 2020. This led many to deduce Poland, a major economy, was seeking to stop coal use in the 2030s. But country officials quickly pushed back, saying the country was planning to phase out coal in the 2040s, possibly as late as 2049.

South Korea, another major coal consumer, also signed the statement last week, seemingly committing to ditch coal by the end of the next decade. The countryâs trade minister has since walked back the commitment, issuing a statement saying: âWe support accelerating the transition to clean power, but we never agreed to a date for the transition away from coal.â

Neither the US nor China, two of the worldâs leading producers of coal, signed on to either coalition. As members of the Group of 20, or G20, these countries had already agreed this year to stop financing coal projects overseas.

Then, this week, John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, told Bloomberg in an interview: âBy 2030 in the United States, we wonât have coal.â The next day he, on behalf of the US, announced with China that both countries had mutually agreed to up their climate ambition and reiterated their commitments to stop helping international coal projects. While China agreed to âmake best efforts to accelerateâ a coal phase down, no date was given. The future of coal in the US was not mentioned at all.

UNFCCC

John Kerry at COP26 on Nov. 2, 2021

Even if more politicians are only beginning to state the obvious about coalâs future in a warmer world, the shift away from the dirtiest fossil fuel is already underway.

Take the US. According to the Sierra Clubâs Beyond Coal campaign, about 348 coal plants in the US have already retired or announced retirements in the past decade. That leaves about 182 currently operating plants around the country.

âThatâs a ton of progress in 10 years,â Cherelle Blazer, a Sierra Club senior director, told BuzzFeed News. âAs far as I know, there arenât any plans for new coal plants.â

Seth Feaster, an energy data analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, offered even more context for Americaâs move away from coal. âOnly 10 years ago was the peak of how much power we could generate from coal,â he explained. âIn other words, between 2011 and 2020, we retired almost a third of all the coal capacity.â

Another third is set to retire in the coming decade, Feaster added, leaving the US with about two-thirds of its peak coal capacity by 2030 â" and he expects this rapid decline will continue to accelerate.

This all happened despite the election of Donald Trump, who ran for US president on the promise to end the âwar on coalâ and whose administration then aggressively rolled back coal rules.

So does that put Kerryâs recently stated goal of no more coal in the US by 2030 within reach? Eh, not quite. Even Feaster said thatâs a âstill fairly optimistic goal.â

Complicating matters is the fate of US President Joe Bidenâs ambitious climate legislation at the center of his Build Back Better plan. The single most obstructive person to getting those new climate policies over the finish line is West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, whose personal fortune is built on coal. Now there are discussions about whether tax incentives heâs pushing to be included for technologies that capture carbon pollution will keep coal plants running longer.

The shuttering of coal plants across the US has pushed the countryâs climate emissions downward. But in coalâs wake, natural gas helped fill the gap. So as coal-related emissions went down, natural gas emissions went up. This type of energy switch wonât halt the climate crisis.

âThese countries that are planning to move away from coal should be very, very careful not to get themselves into locking emissions by switching to another fossil fuel â" gas â" and focus on changing this to renewable energy,â warned MarÃa JosÃ© de Villafranca, a climate policy analyst at NewClimate Institute, this week.

RECAP Day 18 of the Reece Tansey murder trial

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 00:35:00 +0000

As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience â" the local community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Coronavirus cases and hospitalisation rise in Bolton

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 22:15:00 +0000

The CORONAVIRUS infection rate has risen slightly in Bolton, with the number of people requiring hospital treatment for Covid-19 also rising.

The boroughâs infection rate has been fluctuating over recent months, while regularly recording the lowest rate in the Greater Manchester region.

This is after Bolton was the first borough to see a spike in cases due to the spread of the Delta variant in May, giving the town the highest rate of cases in the country for some time.

Surge testing and vaccination was brought in to bring this under control with the townâs infection rate dropping rapidly after this.

Three boroughs of Greater Manchester are currently recording a lower rate of cases than Bolton â" Salford, Manchester, and Oldham. But Bolton is still recording one of the lowest rates in the UK, with Torfaen in Wales recording more than double their rate.

People leaving after having Covid vaccinations at the ESSA academy in Bolton (PA)

In the seven days to November 6, Bolton recorded 864 new positive cases of Covid-19, giving the borough an infection rate of 299.7 new cases per 100,000 residents.

This is an increase from the previous seven days, to October 30, where the town saw 813 new positive cases at an infection rate of 282 new cases per 100,000.

This increase in cases has coincided with an increase in deaths and hospitalisation from the virus in the borough.

As of November 2, the latest data publicly available, 46 people were being treated for Covid at the Royal Bolton Hospital. This is 12 more than just over a week before, where 34 patients were being treated at the hospital.

Covid-19 social distancing sign in Bolton town centre

There has been an increase in the number of people requiring âmechanical ventilationâ beds for treatment for Covid-19 though. As of November 2 six people were occupying such beds. Just under a week before, on October 27, only one person needed this treatment.

The ratio of people being vaccinated in the borough continues to grow. Just under 69 per cent have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine with more than 77 per cent having had their first. This equates to 394,683 vaccine doses in the borough overall, 208,889 first doses and 185,794 second doses.

Canadians mark Remembrance Day in person a year after pandemic limited ceremonies

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 19:56:00 +0000

Canadians marked a return to in-person Remembrance Day ceremonies, including at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced limited gatherings.

The annual ceremony in the country's capital included the playing of the Last Post, the ceremonial laying of wreaths at the foot of the memorial and a moment of silence followed by a 21-gun salute.

Typically, tens of thousands of people attend the ceremony in Ottawa, but last year's ceremony was limited to a much smaller crowd of 100 or so dignitaries, active service members, veterans and some members of the public.

While Thursday's ceremony was a far cry from the usual crowd, hundreds of people were able to attend this year â" including some who had made the journey from Toronto.

This year also marks 100 years since Canada adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.

'Shoulder to shoulder'

Thursday was the first Remembrance Day since allied troops â" including Canadian soldiers â" were pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took control.

For Rear Admiral Rebecca Patterson, this added extra poignancy to this year's ceremonies, along with a sense of relief.

Patterson went to Afghanistan in 2011 as part of a mission to help the Afghan National Army (ANA) reestablish their medical training and education system.

It was there that she met Sami Rauofi, a colonel with the ANA, who she kept in touch with after returning to Canada the following year.

Raoufi arrived in Canada only two days prior to Remembrance Day after fleeing Afghanistan, and he attended the ceremony in Ottawa alongside Patterson.

"It's very important to me, I'm proud I'm here," Raoufi said in front of the national memorial.

Patterson said she was happy to stand beside Raoufi on this Remembrance Day, noting their motto in Afghanistan was "shoulder to shoulder."

"It's really important to know that we made a difference in lives in Afghanistan and that the people that we worked with will never be forgotten," she said.

Frosty poppies sit atop a tombstone on Remembrance Day at the National Military Cemetery in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Royal Canadian Legion spokeswoman Nujma Bond was expecting a return to some semblance of normalcy with people being welcomed to attend ceremonies this year.

Some restrictions and changes nonetheless remained in place as COVID-19 continues to pose a threat, Bond said, with masks and physical distancing requirements for anyone attending ceremonies.

The Legion also again cancelled the traditional veterans' parade in Ottawa, which has in the past seen elderly veterans from the Second World War and Korea march alongside counterparts from more recent conflicts and operations.

The ongoing pandemic also means that some older veterans were unable to attend the ceremony in Ottawa, including 97-year-old Jack Commerford.

A Second World War veteran, Commerford was one of the thousands of Canadians who landed on Juno Beach during the battle of Normandy.

Watching from his home in Ottawa, Commerford said he felt "badly" for not being able to attend in person this year, but would like to attend in 2022.

"I do hope that next year the restrictions will be lifted," he told CBC's chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

A security concern at the ceremony in Ottawa slightly delayed the arrival of the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon.

A mysterious package was found in the vicinity of the National War Memorial, but RCMP noted that it was quickly cleared.

Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon salutes alongside her husband Whit Fraser after placing a wreath during Remembrance Day services at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

May Simon, who wore the uniform of the Royal Canadian Air Force and was attending her first Remembrance Day as the country's commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces, acknowledged the long history and sacrifice of Indigenous Peoples in uniform.

She noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong during the Korean War and 15 years since Capt. Nichola Goddard became the first Canadian woman to die in combat.

"It is important to learn about the stories of soldiers, past and present," May Simon said in a statement. "Though some stories may be hard to hear, it is our responsibility to bear witness. Our hope is that by recalling past sacrifices, we can look to a peaceful future. It is up to all of us. It is in our hands. It is our duty to keep the memory alive."

Some Legion branches across the country have again forgone in-person events because of the pandemic and instead asking people to watch their local ceremony on TV or online.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, large gatherings remained limited by the pandemic. But some in St. John's made their way to the war memorial downtown and lined the streets to remember the fallen.

The cold and rainy weather hasnât stopped people from lining the streets for the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in downtown St. Johnâs.<a href="https://twitter.com/CBCNL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBCNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/lczJjHDF3Y">pic.twitter.com/lczJjHDF3Y</a>

—@megdroberts

The usual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Charlottetown cenotaph was also limited to military representatives and local politicians as the ceremony was again not open to the public this year.

More than 1,000 people stood under sunny skies at Halifax's Grand Parade to mark their remembrance as the ceremony reopened to the public this year.

Trudeau released a video statement prior to the ceremony in Ottawa, where he spoke of those who were injured or died in the line of duty.

"We owe so much to those who bravely serve, to our veterans, to the fallen and to the families who love and support them," he said.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole released a statement saying Remembrance Day is an opportunity to thank those who serve in the armed forces.

"Our veterans and those serving today represent the very best of what it means to be Canadian. Their selflessness and courage serve as an inspiration to all of us," his statement said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attended a local ceremony in his B.C. riding of Burnaby.

"We remember those who lost their lives in the line of duty, and those who were forever changed by their experiences," he said in a statement.

Measles will be back after 22 million babies miss their shots WHO

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 07:46:00 +0000

By Amna Karimi November 11, 2021 â" 5.12pmNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size

The risk of measles outbreaks returning is high, the World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned, after more than 22 million infants missed their first vaccine doses in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Reported measles cases fell by more than 80 per cent last year compared with 2019, but a higher number of children missing their vaccine doses leaves them vulnerable, a joint report by the WHO and the Centres for Disease Control showed on Wednesday.

About 3 million more children missed the shots in 2020 than the previous year, the largest increase in two decades, threatening global efforts to eventually eradicate the highly infectious viral disease.

The highly infectious disease is especially dangerous for young children who haven't had the MMR vaccination.

âLarge numbers of unvaccinated children, outbreaks of measles, and disease detection and diagnostics diverted to support COVID responses are factors that increase the likelihood of measles-related deaths and serious complications in children,â the CDCâs immunisation head, Kevin Cain, said.

Measles is one of the worldâs most contagious diseases, more so than COVID-19, Ebola, tuberculosis or flu. It can be especially dangerous for babies and young children, with pneumonia among the possible complications.

In 2019, reported cases of measles were at their highest in almost a quarter of a century.

The latest report said 24 measles vaccination campaigns originally planned for 2020 in 23 countries were postponed, leaving more than 93 million people at risk.

âItâs critical that countries vaccinate as quickly as possible against COVID-19, but this requires new resources so that it does not come at the cost of essential immunisation programs,â said Dr Kate OâBrien, director of the WHOâs department of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals.

âRoutine immunisation must be protected and strengthened; otherwise, we risk trading one deadly disease for another,â she said.

No cases of measles had been reported in Australia for all of 2021, according to state government infectious disease records, after the closure of international borders.

Reuters

Festival of lights parade brightens up Bury town centre

noreply@blogger.com (Dee Eih) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 05:23:00 +0000

A COLOURFUL parade greeted the end of an imaginative Diwali project in Bury.

Cllr Umrana Farooq, the borough's deputy mayor, said the parade created a "fantastic atmosphere" in the town centre when youngsters displayed them during a procession.

She said on Twitter she was "humbled to see the diverse community together" for the event.

Lantern makers were joined by illuminated dancers and Dhol drummers as they wound their way from the Peel statue, in Market Place, to the Rock.

The gathering was one of several across Greater Manchester, with a similar procession taking place in Bolton and Oldham last week.

An all-day celebration took place last Saturday, with contributions coming from several quarters.

The event was rounded off by 'Cast the Light', a storytelling performance featuring community members representing The Met in Bury, Bolton Hindu Forum, Indian Association Oldham and Shree Bharatiya Mandal from Ashton, produced by arts group Walk the Plank.