The young midshipman needed a date one evening while he was home from the U.S. Naval Academy, so his younger sister paired him with a family friend who already had a crush.Nearly eight decades later, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are still together in the same tiny town where they were born, grew up and had that first outing. In between, they’ve traveled the world as Naval officer and military spouse, American president and first lady, and finally as human rights and public health ambassadors.“It’s a full partnership,” the 39th president told The Associated Press during a joint interview ahead of the couple’s 75th wedding anniversary on July 7.It will be another milestone for the longest-married presidential couple in American history. At 96, Carter also is the longest-lived of the 45 men who’ve served as chief executive. Yet even having reached that pinnacle, Carter has said often since leaving the Oval Office in 1981 that the most important decision he ever made wasn’t as head of state, commander in chief or even executive officer of a nuclear submarine in the early years of the Cold War.Rather, it was falling for Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in 1945 and marrying her the following summer. “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage,” Carter said.The nonagenarians — she’s now 93 — offered a few other tips for an enduring bond.“Every day there needs to be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses,” the former president said, explaining that he and Rosalynn, both devout Christians, read the Bible together aloud each night — something they’ve done for years, even when separated by their travels. “We don’t go to sleep with some remaining differences between us,” he said.Rosalynn Carter noted the importance of finding common interests. Even now, she said, “Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together.” Still, she emphasized a caveat: “Each (person) should have some space. That’s really important.”As first lady, Rosalynn Carter carved her own identity even as she supported her husband. Building on her predecessors’ efforts to highlight special causes, she went to work in her own East Wing office, setting a standard for first ladies by working alongside her husband’s West Wing aides on key legislation, especially dealing with health care and mental health. She continued that focus as the couple built the Carter Center in Atlanta after their White House years.Certainly, a 75-year marriage hasn’t been seamless, the couple acknowledges. Jimmy was initially on course to be an admiral, not commander in chief, and Rosalynn appreciated their life beyond Plains, home to fewer than a thousand people, then and now. But when James Earl Carter Sr. became sick and died in 1953, his son cut short his Navy career and decided the family would return to rural Georgia.The former president has written that in retrospect he finds it inconceivable not to discuss such a life-changing decision with his wife, who was unhappy with the move. Now, they see the blossoming of their partnership in that challenging juncture.“We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP. “I knew more on paper about the business than he did. He would take my advice about things,” she added, drawing a laugh and affirmation from her husband.Jimmy Carter also didn’t seek Rosalynn’s permission to make his first bid for office a few years later. In that instance, she was on board anyway.“My wife is much more political,” he said.She interjected: “I love it. I love campaigning. I had the best time. I was in all the states in the United States. I campaigned solid every day the last time we ran.”That didn’t help avoid a rout by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. But it further cemented Rosalynn — who’d originally given up her own opportunity to go to college when she married at age 18 — as equal partner to the leader of the free world. And it marked Jimmy Carter’s evolution as a spouse.He’s since been an outspoken voice for women’s rights, including within Christianity. Carter left the Southern Baptist Convention in 2006, denouncing what he called “rigid” views that “subjugated” women in the church and in their own marriages.The former president ratified those views again, as well as his support for the church recognizing same-sex marriage. “It will continue to be divisive,” he said. “But the church is evolving.”The Carters plan to celebrate their own marriage milestone a few days after their anniversary with a party in Plains. Decades removed from inaugural balls and state dinners, the most famous residents of Sumter County said they have mixed feelings about the spotlight.“We have too many people invited,” Rosalynn Carter said with a laugh. “I’m actually praying for some turndowns and regrets.
…
Month: July 2021
4 Dead as Cyprus Forest Fire Rages
Four people were found dead as a huge fire raged for a second day in Cyprus, razing tracts of forest in a blaze one official called the worst on record.The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least 10 communities over an area of 50 square kilometers in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range, an area of pine forest and densely vegetated shrubland.The victims, thought to be Egyptian nationals, were found dead close to the community of Odou, a mountainous community north of the cities of Limassol and Larnaca.”All indications point to it being the four persons who were missing since yesterday,” Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said.The EU’s executive, the European Commission, said firefighting planes had departed from Greece to battle the fire and Italy was also planning to deploy aerial firefighters.The EU’s emergency Copernicus satellite was also activated to provide damage assessment maps of the affected areas, the Commission said in a statement.”It is the worst forest fire in the history of Cyprus,” Forestries Department Director Charalambos Alexandrou told Cyprus’s Omega TV.Attempts were being made to prevent the blaze from crossing the mountains and stop it before reaching Machairas, a pine forestland and one of the highest peaks in Cyprus.The cause of the fire, which started around midday on Saturday, was unclear. Cyprus experiences high temperatures in the summer months, with temperatures in recent days exceeding 40 Celsius. Police said they were questioning a 67-year-old person in connection with the blaze.
…
US Celebrates Independence Day 2021
The Fourth of July is celebrated as America’s Independence Day in observance of July 4, 1776, when representatives from the 13 colonies that became the United States approved the historic Declaration of Independence, a grand announcement of the colonies’ self-declared independence from England.The Fourth of July has been a federal holiday since 1941. It is usually a day for families and friends to get together for backyard barbecues. Many cities and towns throughout the U.S. celebrate the day with picnics and parades and fireworks displays.This year, the Fourth of July may be the first time many families and friends see each other in more than a year, as the country begins to emerge from restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.The American Automobile Association is predicting a record number of cars on the highways this year, while airlines are struggling to keep up with the demand for tickets.Face masks are still mandatory, however, on all forms of public transportation.“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” the country’s founding fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence. Women were not considered equal, and many of the signers of the declaration were slaveholders who did not view slaves as equal or endowed with rights.In July 1852, Frederick Douglass, a former slave and great orator who traveled the country and abroad to lecture about the evils of slavery, was invited to give a speech in Rochester, New York about the Fourth of July. In what is perhaps his most famous speech, Douglas asked, “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”America continues to struggle with inequalities based on race and gender.
…
At Least 17 Die in Philippines Troop Plane Crash
At least 17 people were killed when a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing in the south of the country and broke up in flames on Sunday.The Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft crashed at Patikul in Sulu province, in the far south of the archipelago nation where the army has been fighting a long war against Islamist militants from the Abu Sayyaf and other factions.”So far 40 wounded and injured were rescued and 17 bodies recovered. Rescue and recovery is ongoing,” Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement, adding that 92 people had been on board.Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the plane had “missed the runway trying to regain power.”A military spokesperson, Colonel Edgard Arevalo, said there was no indication of any attack on the plane but that a crash investigation had not begun, and efforts were focused on rescue and treatment.Pictures from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from wreckage strewn among trees as men in combat uniform milled around. A large column of black smoke rose into the blue sky.Sobejana said in a message to Reuters that the plane had crashed a few kilometers from Jolo airport at 11:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) and had been carrying troops.”We are currently attending to the survivors who were immediately brought to the 11th Infantry Division station hospital in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu,” he said.
…
Rescuers Search for Survivors in Landslide-hit Japan Town
Rescuers in a Japanese holiday town hit by a deadly landslide searched for survivors Sunday, climbing across cracked roofs and checking cars thrown onto engulfed buildings as more rain lashed the area.Two people have been confirmed dead after the disaster at the hot spring resort of Atami in central Japan, with 10 others rescued and around 20 still missing, a local government official said.Torrents of mud crashed through part of the town on Saturday morning following days of heavy rain, sweeping away hillside homes and turning residential areas into a quagmire that stretched down to the nearby coast.”It’s possible that the number of damaged houses and buildings is as many as 130. I mourn the loss of life,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told ministers at an emergency meeting.”This rainy-season front is expected to keep causing heavy rain in many areas. There is a fear that land disasters could occur even when the rain stops,” he warned.Around 1,000 rescuers including 140 military personnel were involved in the relief efforts, a Shizuoka prefecture official told AFP.”We are trying our best to search for survivors as quickly as possible while carrying out the operation very carefully as it is still raining,” he added.Public broadcaster NHK later reported that rescue operations had been temporarily suspended due to the bad weather.”The big electricity pylons here were shaking all over the place, and no sooner had I wondered what was going on than the mudslides were already there and in the street below too,” said Chieko Oki, who works on a shopping street in the town.”I was really scared,” the 71-year-old told AFP.Another survivor told local media he had heard a “horrible sound” and fled to higher ground as emergency workers urged people to evacuate.On Sunday, dark water trickled past half-buried vehicles and buildings tipped from their foundations.An air-conditioning unit dangled from one devastated home, now perched above a thick slurry of mud and debris, as military personnel stuck poles into the ground to check for bodies.More landslides fearedAtami, around 90 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, saw rainfall of 313 millimeters in just 48 hours to Saturday — higher than the average monthly total for July of 242.5 millimeters, according to public broadcaster NHK.Much of Japan is currently in its annual rainy season, which lasts several weeks and often causes floods and landslides.Scientists say climate change is intensifying the phenomenon because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, resulting in more intense rainfall.Further downpours are forecast in the coming days across Japan’s main island.”Landslides can occur again and again at the same place even if the rain stops. Residents and rescuers should remain on alert,” Takeo Moriwaki, professor of geotechnical engineering at Hiroshima Institute of Technology, told AFP.NHK said on Sunday that at least seven other landslides had been reported across Japan.The highest evacuation alert, which urges people “to secure safety urgently,” was issued after the disaster in Atami, which has 20,000 households.At shelters in the town, survivors wearing masks were keeping their distance from other families due to fears of coronavirus infection, media reports said.Residents in many other cities in Shizuoka have also been ordered to evacuate.
…
Bucks Head to Finals, Phoenix After Slamming Hawks
The Milwaukee Bucks are returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974 after Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday combined for 59 points in a 118-107 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks that wrapped up a 4-2 triumph in the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.Despite having to play a second straight game without injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks earned the right to duel the Western champion Phoenix Suns in a best-of-seven that will tip off Tuesday in Arizona.En route to a 51-21 record in the West, which was five games better than Milwaukee’s 46-26 in the East, the Suns swept a pair of thrillers from the Bucks in the regular season, winning 125-124 at home on Feb. 10 and 128-127 in overtime at Milwaukee on April 19.By virtue of having had the better record in the regular season, the Suns will have the home-court advantage in the series. Phoenix was seeded second in the West, Milwaukee third in the East.The teams have met once previously in the playoffs, back when the Bucks were a Western Conference club. Seeded sixth, Milwaukee upset third-seeded Phoenix 2-0 in that 1978 first-round, best-of-three series.
…
Elsa Leaves 3 Dead, Heads Toward Cuba, Florida
Tropical Storm Elsa left three people dead Saturday as it downed trees and blew off roofs in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The storm, which had been a Category 1 hurricane, weakened and it now heads for Cuba and Florida.One death was reported on St. Lucia, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic, according to the Emergency Operations Center.Elsa was still a hurricane when it damaged several Caribbean islands, with Barbados among the hardest hit.More than 1,100 people reported damaged houses, including 62 homes that collapsed. Schools and government offices were also damaged, and hundreds were without power Saturday, according to the Associated Press.”This is a hurricane that has hit us for the first time in 66 years,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Saturday, according to the AP. “There is no doubt this is urgent.”Haitian authorities used social media to alert the population about the storm, urging those living near water or mountainsides to evacuate. Downed trees have been reported there.Late Saturday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was about 280 kilometers east-southeast of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and was moving west-northwest at 28 kph with maximum sustained winds of 100 kph.Elsa is forecast to strike Cuba next and then Florida. The Hurricane Center’s forecast shows it bearing down on the west coast of Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning. Other tracking models, though, would have the storm moving into the Gulf of Mexico or up along the Atlantic Coast.Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
…
EU Deploys Assistance for Cyprus as Huge Forest Fire Rages
The European Union on Saturday deployed aerial assistance to help Cyprus contain a huge forest fire raging north of the cities of Limassol and Larnaca, a blaze one official called the worst on record.The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least six communities in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range, an area of pine forest and densely vegetated shrubland.The EU’s executive body, the European Commission, said firefighting planes had departed from Greece to battle the fire and Italy was also planning to deploy aerial firefighters.The EU’s emergency Copernicus satellite was also activated to provide damage assessment maps of the affected areas, the Commission said in a statement.”It is the worst forest fire in the history of Cyprus,” Forestries Department Director Charalambos Alexandrou told Cyprus’s Omega TV.Attempts were being made to prevent the blaze from crossing the mountains and stop it before reaching Machairas, a pine forestland and one of the highest peaks in Cyprus.Alexandrou said the perimeter of the fire was “at least 40 kilometers.”Dozens of properties were damaged, but no injuries were reported. There were widespread power cuts in the area. Plumes of smoke were visible in the capital Nicosia, some 75 kilometers away.Officials said that in addition to Greece’s assistance with two aircraft, help was also expected from Israel.”This is a very difficult day for Cyprus. All of the state’s mechanisms are in gear, and the priority is for no loss of life,” Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades tweeted.Israel accepted Nicosia’s plea for help, a statement from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, and will send firefighting aircraft to Cyprus on Sunday.The cause of the fire, which started around midday, was unclear. Cyprus has experienced a heatwave this week, with temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius. Police said they were questioning a 67-year-old person in connection with the blaze.”It passed through like a whirlwind, it destroyed everything,” said Vassos Vassiliou, the community leader of Arakapas, one of the communities affected.
…
Vatican Indicts 10, Including a Cardinal, in London Deal
A Vatican judge on Saturday indicted 10 people, including a once-powerful cardinal, on charges including embezzlement, abuse of office, extortion and fraud in connection with the Secretariat of State’s 350 million-euro investment in a London real estate venture.The president of the Vatican’s criminal tribunal, Giuseppe Pignatone, set July 27 as the trial date, though lawyers for some defendants questioned how they could prepare for trial so soon given they hadn’t yet formally received the indictment.The 487-page indictment request was issued following a sprawling, two-year investigation into how the Secretariat of State managed its vast asset portfolio, much of which is funded by donations from the faithful. The scandal over its multimillion-dollar losses has resulted in a sharp reduction in donations and prompted Pope Francis to strip the office of its ability to manage the money.Five former Vatican officials, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu and two officials from the Secretariat of State, were indicted, as well as the Italian businessmen who handled the investment.Vatican prosecutors accuse the main suspects of bilking millions of euros from the Holy See in fees, bad investments and other losses related to financial dealings that were funded in large part by Peter’s Pence donations to the pope for works of charity. The suspects have denied wrongdoing.One of the main suspects, Italian broker Gianluigi Torzi, is accused of having extorted the Vatican of 15 million euros to turn over ownership of the London building in late 2018. Torzi had been retained by the Vatican to help it acquire full ownership of the building from another indicted money manager who had handled the initial investment in 2013, but lost millions in what the Vatican says were speculative, imprudent deals.Vatican prosecutors allege Torzi inserted a last-minute clause into the contract giving him full voting rights in the deal.The Vatican hierarchy, however, signed off on the contract, with both the pope’s No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and his deputy approving it. Neither was indicted. In addition, Francis himself was aware of the deal and Torzi’s involvement in it.Vatican prosecutors say the Vatican hierarchy was hoodwinked by Torzi and aided in part by an Italian lawyer — who was also indicted Saturday — into agreeing to the terms. The Secretariat of State intends to declare itself an injured party in the case.Torzi has denied the charges and said the accusations were due to a misunderstanding. He is currently in London pending an extradition request by Italian authorities, who are seeking to prosecute him on other financial charges. His representatives said they had no immediate comment Saturday since they hadn’t yet seen the indictment.Cardinal indictedAlso indicted was a onetime papal contender and Holy See official, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who helped engineer the initial London investment when he was chief of staff in the Secretariat of State.Francis fired him as the Vatican’s saint-making chief last year, apparently in connection with a separate issue: Becciu’s 100,000-euro donation of Holy See funds to a diocesan charity run by his brother.Becciu had originally not been part of the London investigation but was included after it appeared that he was behind the proposal to buy the building, prosecutors say, alleging that he also interfered in the investigation.In a statement Saturday issued by his lawyers, Becciu insisted on the “absolute falsity” of the accusations and denounced what he said was “unparalleled media pillory” against him in the Italian press.”I am the victim of a plot hatched against me. And I have been waiting for a long time to know any accusations against me, to allow myself to promptly deny them and prove to the world my absolute innocence,” he said.One of Becciu’s proteges, self-styled intelligence analyst Cecilia Marogna, was indicted on separate embezzlement charges. Becciu had hired Marogna as an external consultant after she reached out to him in 2015 with concerns about security at Vatican embassies in global hot spots. Becciu authorized hundreds of thousands of euros of Holy See funds to her to free Catholic priests and nuns held hostage in Africa, according to WhatsApp messages reprinted by Italian media.Her Slovenian-based holding company, which received the funds, was among the four companies also ordered to stand trial.Marogna says the money was compensation for legitimate intelligence work and reimbursements. Prosecutors say she spent the money on luxury purchases that were incompatible with the humanitarian scope of her company.In a statement Saturday, her legal team said Marogna had been prepared for months to “provide a full accounting of her work and fears nothing about the accusations made against her.”Also indicted were the former top two officials in the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency, for alleged abuse of office. Prosecutors say by failing to stop the Torzi deal, they performed a “decisive function” in letting it play out.The lawyer for the former office director, Tommaso di Ruzza, said he had only seen the Vatican press statement about the allegations but insisted that his client “has always acted in the most scrupulous respect of the law and his office duties, in the exclusive interest of the Holy See.”The former head of the office, Rene Bruelhart, defended his work and said his indictment was a “procedural blunder that will be immediately clarified by the organs of Vatican justice as soon as the defense will be able to exercise its rights.”A former Secretariat of State official, Monsignor Mauro Carlino, expressed shock at his indictment on alleged extortion and abuse of office charges, saying his only involvement in the deal was after he was ordered by his superiors to negotiate Torzi down from a 20 million-euro fee to 15 million euros.”It seems incomprehensible that a worthy act … that brought him no personal advantage and had on the contrary provided a significant savings for the Secretariat of State could lead to an indictment,” said a statement from his lawyer, Salvino Mondello.
…
11 People in Custody After Hourslong Armed Standoff on Massachusetts Highway
An hourslong standoff with a group of heavily armed men that partially shut down Interstate 95 ended Saturday with 11 suspects in custody, Massachusetts state police said.Police initially reported nine suspects were taken into custody, but two more were taken into custody in their vehicle later Saturday morning.Two suspects were hospitalized, but police said it was for preexisting conditions that had nothing to do with the standoff.State Police Colonel Christopher Mason said the suspects surrendered after police tactical teams used armored vehicles to tighten the perimeter around them.The standoff shut down a portion of I-95 for much of the morning, causing major traffic problems during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Authorities later said the interstate had been reopened and that the shelter-in-place orders for Wakefield and Reading had been lifted.In Massachusetts, Interstate 95 runs from the Rhode Island line, around Boston, to the New Hampshire line. Wakefield is just east of where Interstate 95 and 93 meet north of Boston.Headed for ‘training’The standoff began around 2 a.m. when police noticed two cars pulled over on I-95 with hazard lights on after they had apparently run out of fuel, authorities said at a Saturday press briefing.At least some of the suspects were clad in military-style gear with long guns and pistols, Mason said. He added that they were headed to Maine from Rhode Island for “training.””You can imagine 11 armed individuals standing with long guns slung on an interstate highway at 2 in the morning certainly raises concerns and is not consistent with the firearms laws that we have in Massachusetts,” Mason said.He said he understood the suspects, who did not have firearms licenses, have a different perspective on the law.”I appreciate that perspective,” he said. “I disagree with that perspective at the end of the day, but I recognize that it’s there.”The men refused to put down their weapons or comply with authorities’ orders, claiming to be from a group “that does not recognize our laws” before taking off into a wooded area, police said.Police and prosecutors were working to determine what charges the members of the group would face.The suspects were expected to appear in court in Woburn on Tuesday, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.Not anti-government, leader saysMason said the “self-professed leader” of the group wanted it to be known that they were not anti-government.”I think the investigation that follows from this interaction will provide us more insight into what their motivation, what their ideology is,” Mason said.In a video posted to social media Saturday morning, a man who did not give his name, but said he was from a group called Rise of the Moors, broadcast from Interstate 95 in Wakefield near Exit 57.”We are not anti-government. We are not anti-police, we are not sovereign citizens, we’re not Black identity extremists,” said the man, who appeared to be wearing military-style equipment. He said that “as specified multiple times to the police,” the group members were “abiding by the peaceful journey laws of the United States.”The website for the group says they are “Moorish Americans dedicated to educating new Moors and influencing our Elders.”Mason said he had no knowledge of the group, but it was not unusual for the state police to encounter people who have “sovereign citizen ideology,” although he did not know if the people involved in the Wakefield standoff were a part of that.
…
Work Stopped at Collapsed Florida Condo, Demolition Imminent as Tropical Storm Elsa Nears
Florida officials halted search and rescue work Saturday at the site of a partially collapsed condo building as they prepare to raze what remains standing over concerns that the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa could trigger a secondary collapse, potentially endangering rescue workers. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members of the 124 missing people that rescue work stopped Saturday afternoon, news that one relative described as “devastating.”Demolition crews have begun boring holes for explosives into the concrete of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside. Raide said the demolition won’t happen until Monday, at the earliest. A woman mourns at a memorial site created by neighbors in front of a partially collapsed residential building as the emergency crews continue the search and rescue operations for survivors, in Surfside, Fla., July 3, 2021.“If the building is taken down, this will protect our search and rescue teams, because we don’t know when it could fall over,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier Saturday at a news conference, describing the “structurally unsound” remnants of damaged building as “tottering.”“And, of course, with these gusts, potentially that would create a really severe hazard,” added DeSantis, who, after meeting with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, said officials are confident what’s left of the building can likely be brought down Sunday with minimal interruption of ongoing search and rescue efforts. Officials on Saturday said the death toll from the June 24 collapse increased to 24 victims during the overnight hours, and that 124 people remain unaccounted for. Rescue teams use jack hammers to chip through debris and rubble as they continue to look for survivors at the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South Condo building in Surfside, Fla., July 3, 2021.Once the building has been brought down, Raide said the debris will be removed quickly to give rescuers access for the first time to parts of the garage area that are a focus of interest, possibly providing a clearer picture of pockets that may exist in the rubble and may harbor survivors. Elsa was downgraded Saturday from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm as it barreled past the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, menacing Haiti and the Dominican Republic with driving rain and winds of up to 110 kph (70 mph). Florida remained in Elsa’s “cone of uncertainty.” The Orlando Sentinel reported that the storm’s projected path placed it near the Florida Keys by 2 a.m. Tuesday, and from there it was expected to move along Florida’s western coast, passing Tampa by 2 a.m. Wednesday. DeSantis issued a state of emergency for Miami-Dade and 13 other counties Saturday morning. FILE – Search and rescue personnel work at the site of a collapsed Florida condominium complex in Surfside, July 2, 2021. (Miami-Dade Fire Department photo)Miami-Dade officials refused to take any chances. “We have no control over where it lands,” said Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky, echoing concerns of regional officials who’ve worked closely with demolition experts who initially thought safe removal of the remaining, unstable structure could take weeks. “The fear was that [Elsa] may take the building down for us and take it in the wrong direction,” said Burkett, Surfside’s mayor. Controlled collapse Fire officials on Saturday said the remaining units of Champlain Towers South, which have been vacant since the collapse, will be destroyed in a controlled manner using explosive charges and no wrecking balls.The city of North Miami Beach on Friday said the nearby Crestview Towers building was found to be structurally and electrically unsafe.“In an abundance of caution, the city ordered the building closed immediately and the residents evacuated for their protection, while a full structural assessment is conducted and next steps are determined,” City Manager Arthur Sorey said in a statement.Home Depot department supervisor Arnaldo Gonzalez loads water bottles into Elena Arvalo’s shopping cart as shoppers prepare for possible effects of Tropical Storm Elsa in Miami, July 3, 2021.The review of the building was part of an audit of buildings 40 years old and older recommended by the mayor of Miami-Dade County following last week’s partial collapse of Champlain Towers South. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to about 200 family members Thursday at a Miami Beach hotel, and then he and first lady Jill Biden went from table to table, conversing with them in smaller groups, according to the White House, which said the Bidens were joined by the state’s two U.S. senators, DeSantis and other Florida politicians. Before visiting a memorial near the site of the tragedy in the oceanfront community of nearly 6,000 residents, Biden announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would provide temporary housing and other urgent needs for those made homeless by the disaster. The president also met earlier with some of the search and rescue team members, whom he described as “under a great deal of stress.”Personal belongings are seen amid debris dangling from the remains of apartments sheared in half, in the still standing portion of the Champlain Towers South condo, more than a week after it partially collapsed in Surfside, Fla.A 2018 engineering report noted “major structural damage” to a concrete slab beneath the building’s ground-floor pool and “abundant cracking” in the concrete structure of the parking garage. Bids for millions of dollars in repair work were still pending when the building collapsed. The president announced that the National Institute of Standards and Technology would try to determine why the building crumpled.No one has been rescued alive since the first hours after the June 24 collapse. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
…
South Africa’s Zuma Marches With Supporters Opposed to His Jailing
Hundreds of supporters of Jacob Zuma marched alongside the former South African president in his hometown of Nkandla on Saturday, a show of force against a court decision to jail him for 15 months for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.The constitutional court on Tuesday gave Zuma 15 months in jail for absconding in February from the inquiry led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Zuma has until the end of Sunday to hand himself in, after which police are obliged to arrest him.”They can give Zuma 15 months … or 100 months. He’s not going to serve even one day or one minute of that,” his son Edward Zuma told Reuters at the gathering. “They would have to kill me before they put their hands on him.”Ex-South African President Zuma Sentenced to 15 Months in JailConstitutional Court, South Africa’s highest, declared former president guilty of contempt of court after he failed to appear before inquiry into corruption The jail sentence was seen as a sign of just how far Zuma, once a revered veteran of the struggle against white minority rule, has fallen since embarking on a presidency beset by multiple sleaze and graft scandals between 2009 and 2018.His downfall has divided the ruling African National Congress, which canceled an executive committee meeting over the weekend in order to focus on the ensuing crisis.The ex-leader has applied to the court for the sentence to be annulled on the grounds that it is excessive and could expose him to COVID-19.Zuma, who did not speak to his supporters but is expected to address them Sunday, wore a black and gold tropical shirt as he walked through the crowd, but no mask. He was guarded by men dressed as traditional warriors from his Zulu nation, wearing leopard skins and holding spears with oval ox-hide shields.In an application to annul the decision submitted on Friday, Zuma said going to jail “would put him at the highest risk of death” from the pandemic because he was nearly 80 and has a medical condition.Zuma also called the sentence a “political statement of exemplary punishment.” He has maintained he is the victim of political witch hunt and that Zondo is biased against him.Zuma gave in to pressure to quit and yield to his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, in 2018, and since then has faced several attempts to bring him to book for alleged corruption during and before his time as president. The Zondo Commission is examining allegations that he allowed three Indian-born businessmen, the brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta, to plunder state resources and influence policy. He and the brothers, who fled to Dubai after Zuma’s ouster, deny wrongdoing.Zuma also faces a separate court case relating to a $2 billion arms deal in 1999 when he was deputy president.
…
Ugandans Face 2 Months’ Imprisonment for Violating COVID Laws
Ugandans may find themselves in jail for two months if they are found breaking public health controls in a new COVID-19 law. Through July, acts such as praying in open spaces, not wearing masks, hawking, street vending and selling nonfood items will get one arrested. These are now deemed acts that enable the spread of COVID-19. Uganda has registered 1,057 new cases, 1081 active cases and 1061 deaths.Samples collected in early June indicate that the predominant COVID strain currently in Uganda is the delta variant first seen in India. Jane Ruth Aceng is the minister for health.”From our observations, we have noted increased transmissibility resulting in a fast-moving outbreak, more severe clinical presentations of new cases and unfortunately resulting in poor clinical outcomes,” said Aceng.Aceng says Uganda will most likely reach the peak of daily case numbers in late July or early August, before registering a slight drop in cases.Uganda Approves Herbal Treatment for COVID-19 WHO has not approved substance for COVID-19 treatment, but Ugandan pharmacists say they have little choice because drugs authorized for emergency use in developed countries are not availableThat is why, through July, anyone found praying in an open space or outside a church or a mosque, not wearing masks, hawking, street vending and selling nonfood items will be sentenced to two months in jail. Anyone found operating a bar or a movie theater, attending a seminar, cultural event or indoor sports event could face jail time if convicted.State minister for health Anifa Kawooya says the law is necessary.”These penalties are not punishments. In one way, it is to instill attitude change,” said Kawooya. “That the moment that you know that if I don’t observe these SOPs [standard operating procedures], this will happen.”The new law also prohibits entry of visitors from India, other than Ugandan citizens or residents. Anyone who aids in the escape of someone confined in a place designated for isolation or quarantine of COVID-19 can also be imprisoned for two months.The Health Ministry hopes that once the government can acquire more vaccines, fewer people will be severely affected and in need of critical care in hospitals. So far 861,645 people have been inoculated with their first dose of AstraZeneca and 129,257 have had their second dose.Between July and August Uganda expects to receive 974,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Covax facility and another 300,000 Sinovac doses from China.To encourage Ugandans to get vaccinated, the country is currently undertaking a study to monitor vaccine efficacy by counting COVID infections that may occur in vaccinated people. “Preliminary Investigations show that no hospitalized persons were fully vaccinated at the time of illness,” said Aceng. “Therefore, there’s no current evidence to support the allegations that fully vaccinated persons have acquired severe infections and died in Uganda.”Uganda has also applied for 2 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine through the African Export-Import Bank and the African Union. and another 9 million doses through the Covax cost-sharing facility.
…
Hurricane Elsa Moving Quickly Toward Haiti, Dominican Republic
Hurricane Elsa is hurtling Saturday toward Haiti and the Domincan Republic, raising fears of flooding and mudslides in those countries before slamming Cuba and Florida. Haitian authorities used social media to alert the population about the hurricane, urging those living near water or mountain sides to evacuate.The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the Category 1 storm was located about 635 kilometers east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic, and was moving west-northwest at 48 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour. Elsa is expected to weaken to a tropical storm after striking Cuba, and the Hurricane Center’s long-term forecast shows it bearing down on Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning. Other tracking models, though, would have the storm blowing into the Gulf or up along the Atlantic Coast.NHC: Hurricane Elsa to Weaken ‘A Little,’ Then Regain StrengthElsa to move across Caribbean Sea on SaturdayHurricane warnings are in effect Saturday for the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Punta Palenque to the border with Haiti; the southern portion of Haiti from Port Au Prince to the southern border with the Dominican Republic; and in Jamaica beginning Sunday.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba.
Meanwhile, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Haiti north of Port Au Prince and the south coast of the Dominican Republic, east of Punta Palenque to Cabo Engano.
The hurricane center said the outer rain bands associated with Elsa will affect Puerto Rico with rainfall totals of up to seven centimeters, with amounts as much as 12 centimeters possible through Saturday. This rain could lead to isolated flash flooding and minor river flooding, along with the potential for mudslides, the center said.
Across portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, rainfall of 20 centimeters with higher isolated maximum amounts possible Saturday into Sunday, possibly leading to scattered flash flooding and mudslides.
The Hurricane center said there is an increasing risk of storm surge, wind and rainfall beginning Monday in the Florida Keys. The impacts could be felt northward along the Florida peninsula through Tuesday. However, the center emphasizes there is still significant uncertainty about the Florida portion of its forecast.
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
…
Ukrainian Women Troops Marching in Heels Spark Outrage
Ukrainian authorities found themselves buried in controversy Friday after official pictures showed women soldiers practicing for a parade in heels.Ukraine is preparing to stage a military parade next month to mark 30 years of independence following the Soviet Union’s breakup, and the defense ministry released photographs of fatigue-clad women soldiers marching in mid-heel black pumps.”Today, for the first time, training takes place in heeled shoes,” cadet Ivanna Medvid was quoted as saying by the defense ministry’s information site ArmiaInform.”It is slightly harder than in army boots, but we are trying,” Medvid added in comments released on Thursday.The choice of footwear sparked a torrent of criticism on social media and in parliament, and led to accusations that women soldiers had been sexualized.”The story of a parade in heels is a real disgrace,” commentator Vitaly Portnikov said on Facebook, arguing that some Ukrainian officials had a “medieval” mindset.Another commentator, Maria Shapranova, accused the defense ministry of “sexism and misogyny.””High heels is a mockery of women imposed by the beauty industry,” she fumed.Several Ukrainian lawmakers close to Ukraine’s former president Petro Poroshenko showed up in parliament with pairs of shoes and encouraged the defense minister to wear high heels to the parade.”It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea,” said Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, pointing to health risks.She also said that Ukraine’s women soldiers — like men — were risking their lives and “do not deserve to be mocked”.Ukraine has been battling Russian-backed separatists in the country’s industrial east, in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.Olena Kondratyuk, deputy speaker of the legislature said authorities should publicly apologize for “humiliating” women and conduct an enquiry. Kondratyuk said that more than 13,500 women had fought in the current conflict.More than 31,000 women now serve in the Ukrainian armed forces, including more than 4,000 of whom are officers.
…
WHO Calls for Urgent Action to Slow COVID-19 Spread in Africa
The World Health Organization is calling for urgent action to stem the rapid spread of COVID-19 across Africa, which is being fueled by a surge of more contagious variants of the disease. Latest reports say COVID-19 cases in Africa have been rising by 25% every week for the past six weeks, bringing reported cases there to more than 5.4 million, including 141,000 deaths.WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, warns the rampant spread of the more contagious alpha, beta, and delta variants is raising the pandemic threat across the continent to a new level.”The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave is like nothing we have seen before,” said Moeti. “Cases are doubling every three weeks, compared to every four weeks at the start of the second wave. Almost 202,000 cases were reported in the past week and the continent is on the verge of exceeding its worst week ever in this pandemic.” In the same period, WHO reports deaths have risen by 15% across 38 African countries to nearly 3,000. The jump is largely due to the highly transmissible coronavirus variants, which have spread to dozens of countries. The most contagious delta variant has been found in 16 countries. It reportedly has become the dominant strain in South Africa.Moeti says more people are falling ill and requiring hospitalization, even people younger than 45 years. She says evidence is growing that the delta variant is causing longer and more severe illness.With Africa’s lack of life-saving vaccines, Moeti says it is important for people to practice public health measures, such as wearing masks, social distancing, and frequent handwashing to prevent the disease from spreading.”With WHO’s guidance, countries are taking action to curb the rise in cases,” said Moeti. “All countries in resurgence in the region have put limits on people gathering to help with physical distancing. …They are using nuanced, risk-based approaches, informed by the local epidemiology, in an effort to avoid nationwide lockdowns that we know cause great harm to livelihoods, particularly for low-income households.” Vaccines are proving highly effective against the COVID-19 variants and in ending devastating surges of severe cases of the disease. They are widely available in the world’s richest countries, but not Africa.Moeti is urgently appealing to countries to share their excess doses to help plug the continent’s vaccine gap, saying Africa must not be left languishing in the throes of its worst wave yet.
…
Major Swedish Supermarket Chain Hit by Cyberattack
One of Sweden’s biggest supermarket chains said Saturday it had to temporarily close around 800 stores nationwide after a cyberattack blocked access to its checkouts.”One of our subcontractors was hit by a digital attack, and that’s why our checkouts aren’t working any more,” Coop Sweden, which accounts for around 20 percent of the sector, said in a statement.”We regret the situation and will do all we can to reopen swiftly,” the cooperative added.Coop Sweden did not name the subcontractor or reveal the hacking method used against it beginning on Friday evening.But the attack comes as a wave of ransomware attacks has struck worldwide, especially in the United States.Ransomware attacks typically involve locking away data in systems using encryption, making companies pay to regain access.Last year, hackers extorted at least $18 billion using such software, according to security firm Emsisoft.US IT company Kaseya on Friday urged customers to shut down servers running its VSA platform after dozens were hit with ransomware.In recent weeks, such attacks have hit oil pipelines, health services and major firms, and made it onto the agenda of US President Joe Biden’s June meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
…
At Least 19 Missing as Mudslide West of Tokyo Hits Houses
A powerful mudslide carrying a deluge of black water and debris crashed into rows of houses in a town west of Tokyo following heavy rains on Saturday, leaving at least 19 people missing, officials said.Dozens of homes may have been buried in Atami, a town known for hot springs, said Shizuoka prefecture spokesperson Takamichi Sugiyama.Public broadcaster NHK gave the number of missing people at 20, but Sugiyama said the prefecture confirmed at least 19, although he said the number may grow.Torrential rains have slammed parts of Japan starting earlier this week. Experts said dirt had been loosened, increasing landslide risks in a country filled with valleys and mountains.Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu told reporters that the Coast Guard had discovered two people who had been washed into the sea by the mudslide. Their hearts had stopped, but their deaths were not yet officially declared, he said. Other details of their identity were not released.“I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who has suffered,” he said, adding that utmost efforts will be made to rescue lives.Both Kawakatsu and Sugiyama said it had been raining hard in the area all morning. Self-defense forces will join firefighters and police in the rescue operation, and a minister from the national government had also arrived, they said.Japanese media reports said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency meeting for his Cabinet.Evacuation warnings were issued for a wide area, including the so-called “Level 5,” which is the highest possible alert.The landslides appeared to have struck multiple times, about as fast as a car. Footage showed a powerful, black mudslide slither down a mountain, knocking over and crushing houses and sweeping away cars in its path. Helpless neighbors watched in horror, some recording on their phones.NHK TV footage showed a part of a bridge had collapsed.Atami is a quaint seaside resort area in Shizuoka prefecture, about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. The area that was hit by the mudslide, Izusan, includes hot springs, residential areas, shopping streets and a famous shrine.
…
French Far-right Chief Under Fire for Her Mainstream Turn
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is facing stinging criticism for making her party too mainstream, dulling its extremist edge, and ignoring grassroots members, with voices from inside and outside warning this could cost her votes in next year’s presidential race.The rumblings grew louder after the National Rally’s failure a week ago in regional elections and come just ahead of this weekend’s party congress.Le Pen is the anti-immigration party’s unquestioned boss, and her fortunes aren’t expected to change at the two-day event in the southwestern town of Perpignan, hosted by local Mayor Louis Aliot — Le Pen’s former companion and, above all, the party’s top performer in last year’s municipal elections. But there could be an uncomfortable reckoning, just as Le Pen is trying to inject new dynamism into the National Rally.Critics say Le Pen has erased her party’s anti-establishment signature by trying to make it more palatable to the mainstream right. As part of the strategy, she softened the edges and strove to remove the stigma of racism and antisemitism that clung to the party after decades under her now-ostracized father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. She even changed the name from National Front, as it was called under her father, who co-founded the party in 1972 and led it for four decades.“The policy of adapting, of rapprochement with power, even with the ordinary right, was severely sanctioned,” said Jean-Marie Le Pen. “(That) was a political error and translates into an electoral failure, and perhaps electoral failures,” he added, referring to the regional election result and the 2022 presidential vote.The defiant patriarch, now 93, was expelled in the effort to boost the party’s respectability, but his criticism reflects that of more moderate members who say his daughter has muddled the message.Her goal is to reach the runoff in the presidential race in 10 months with greater success than in 2017, when she reached the final round but lost to centrist Emmanuel Macron.National Rally candidates — including several who originally hailed from the mainstream right — failed in all 12 French regions during elections last Sunday marked by record-high abstention with only one in three voters casting ballots. Polls had suggested the party, which has never headed a region, would be victorious in at least one. Instead, it lost nearly a third of its regional councilors, in voting regarded as critical to planting local roots needed for the presidential race — a task that some say has been neglected.“It’s local elections that are the launch pad for the rocket” that could take Marine Le Pen to the presidential palace, Romain Lopez, mayor of the small southwest town of Moissac, said in an interview. “Today, we look like eternal seconds. That can … demobilize the National Rally electorate for the presidential elections.”Some local representatives have resigned in disgust since the regional elections defeat, among them the delegate for the southern Herault area, Bruno Lerognon.’Losing strategy’In a bitter letter to Le Pen, posted on Facebook, Lerognon blasted his boss’ strategy to lure voters from other parties as “absurd.” He said members of the party’s local federation were “odiously treated” — removed from running in the regional elections in favor of outsiders. Cronyism had “rotted” the local far-right scene, he wrote, alluding to long-standing criticism of power clans within the National Rally whose voices are decisive. Le Pen replaced him a day later.In western France, all four members of a small local federation resigned between rounds of the regional elections. None of the four was represented on local electoral lists — “pushed aside,” as they claimed, by higher-ups elsewhere. They bemoaned a “losing strategy” born at the Lille party congress in 2018, when Le Pen first proposed changing the party’s name and severed remaining ties with her father.A party figure with a national reputation, European Parliament lawmaker Gilbert Collard, has criticized the strategy of opening up as “a trap.” He said he won’t attend the congress.Lopez, the mayor of Moissac, will be there, hoping that he and others with complaints will be heard.Lopez, 31, is a proponent of Le Pen’s outreach to other parties and credits his own broad appeal to voters for his election last year, in an upset for the previously leftist town.But the party hierarchy is disconnected from its scarce, albeit vital local bases, Lopez said. National officials treat local representatives like children “and impose everything, how to communicate, build a local campaign,” Lopez said. “And by imposing everything from the top, you have a national strategy … disconnected from the reality of each town or region.”He is unsure whether the party will give local officials like himself speaking time, beyond his five minutes at a roundtable, but hopes to be heard.“When you’re in self-satisfaction, when you refuse to look at imperfections, you go straight into the wall,” he said.
…
Swim Caps for Thick, Curly Hair Not Allowed at Olympics
Swimming caps designed for natural Black hair won’t be allowed at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, with the sport’s world governing body saying they are unsuitable due to them not “following the natural form of the head.”The British brand Soul Cap sought to have its products officially recognized by FINA, the federation that administers international competitions in water sports, but its application submitted last year was rejected. The company makes extra-large caps designed to protect thick, curly, and voluminous hair.The caps were barred by FINA on the grounds that to their “best knowledge, the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require to use, caps of such size and configuration.”FINA described the swim caps as unsuitable due to them not “following the natural form of the head.”The Switzerland-based governing body said Friday that it is currently reviewing the situation with Soul Cap and similar products while “understanding the importance of inclusivity and representation.”FINA said in the statement that it is committed to ensuring all aquatics athletes have access to appropriate swimwear for competition as long as such swimwear doesn’t provide a competitive advantage.“We don’t see this as a setback, but a chance to open up a dialogue to make a bigger difference in aquatics,” Soul Cap cofounders Toks Ahmed-Salawudeen and Michael Chapman tweeted. “A huge thanks to all who have supported us and our work so far.”The men founded the company in 2017 after meeting a woman with natural Black hair who struggled with her swim cap. According to the company’s website, it has shipped over 30,000 swim caps to customers worldwide.“For younger swimmers, feeling included and seeing yourself in a sport at a young age is crucial,” Ahmed-Salawudeen said in an online post. “There’s only so much grassroots and small brands can do — we need the top to be receptive to positive change.”Alice Dearing, who will compete in marathon swimming in Tokyo as the only Black swimmer for Britain, endorses the company’s caps.“People used to tell me my hair was ‘too big’ for the cap — never that the cap was too small for my hair,” she said in a blog post on the company’s website.FINA pointed out Friday that there is no restriction on Soul Cap usage for recreational and teaching purposes. It said it appreciates the efforts of the company and other suppliers in making sure people have a chance to enjoy the water.FINA said it would speak with Soul Cap officials about using the company’s products at its development centers located in Dakar, Senegal, and Kazan, Russia.
…
Zambians Give Handkerchief Salute to Fallen Statesman Kaunda
Mourners waving white handkerchiefs, Kenneth Kaunda’s trademark symbol, paid tribute Friday at a memorial service for Zambia’s first president, who died last month aged 97, as VIPs hailed him as one of southern Africa’s great statesmen.Neatly distanced in compliance with COVID rules, scores of Zambians stood on the terraces of the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, swaying to dirges and solemn music played by a military band.A hero of the struggle against white-minority rule, Kaunda died on June 17 at a military hospital where he had been admitted with pneumonia.He always carried a white handkerchief — an item that he said symbolized love and peace, and which he started carrying while incarcerated during the struggle for independence.A casket draped in the Zambian flag was driven on a gun carriage into the 60,000-capacity stadium and placed under a white marquee.Zambia’s founding father was then given a multiple gun salute.Braving the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the southern African country, several foreign dignitaries and presidents flew to Lusaka to pay their respects.Zambia is among Africa’s top three countries reporting the highest number of new cases over the past week, after South Africa and Tunisia, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).”Today is a passing of an era,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told mourners.”Kaunda was the last surviving leader of the generation who lit the path to Africa’s freedom from colonial misrule.”The African Union’s commission chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, described Kaunda as “a unifier,” a “giant among men.””Had it not been for the selfless efforts of his generation, I would not be before you today, as the African Union would not exist,” he noted.Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, said “we are marking what is truly the end of an era on our continent… the last of the great freedom fighters, the philosopher king.”‘Defeated Goliath of oppression’Britain’s Minister for Africa James Duddridge, representing Zambia’s former colonial ruler, said Queen Elizabeth II was saddened by Kaunda’s death and that “the world has lost a great man.”Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland described him as a “warrior who defeated the Goliath of oppression.”Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta remembered the “many moments (his father Jomo Kenyatta) … shared together, fought and struggled together for this continent” with Kaunda.”I have lost not only a mentor but a person who greatly inspired me as well,” said Kenyatta.Kaunda, popularly known by his initials of KK, was president of Zambia for 27 years, taking the helm after the country gained independence in October 1964.He headed the main nationalist group, the left-of-center United National Independence Party.He was nicknamed by some “Africa’s Gandhi” for his non-violent, independence-related activism in the 1960s.He hosted many of the movements fighting for independence or black equality in other countries around the continent — sometimes at a heavy cost.But his popularity at home waned as he became increasingly autocratic and banned all opposition parties.He eventually ceded power in the first multi-party elections in 1991, losing to trade unionist Fredrick Chiluba.Taxi tributeZambia declared a period of mourning after his death, with flags flown at half staff, while his body was taken around the country for the public to pay their respects.He will be buried next Wednesday at the country’s presidential burial site situated opposite the cabinet office in Lusaka.Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said Kaunda’s burial would signify the “planting of a vibrant seed.””From this seed, let’s harvest a new African generation with new pan-Africanism… free from corruption,” he urged.Some taxi drivers in Lusaka drove with their headlights on as a way of mourning the country’s founder.”We have agreed here that we will be driving with our lights on as a way of mourning Dr. Kaunda, shikulu (grandfather). The loss is too huge, not only here in Zambia but the entire world,” driver Lazarus Daka, 37, told AFP.
…
Gun Ownership Steadily Increasing Among US Women
In 2020, Americans battled a pandemic, social injustice and a contested election — conflicts that led many people to become gun owners.And, consistent with a slow trend over the past decade, more of those gun owners are women.Beth Privette, who helps run the Women Arm Yourselves Safety program in Brevard, North Carolina, said she added two classes to her calendar in 2020 “because there was such a need for it.””In the last year and a half, we’ve seen quite an uptick,” she told VOA.Preliminary data from Harvard’s School of Public Health suggest that women accounted for about half of all gun purchases between 2019 and 2021, and that new gun owners are more likely to be female.Kylie Tyler, a gun owner in Washington state who grew up hunting with her father, said she noticed that some of the people who had initially been shocked to learn she owned a gun expressed interest in purchasing one last year.”In the Northwest, there has been a lot of civil unrest, and that specifically has caused a lot of people that I’ve talked to to rethink that initial evaluation,” Tyler said.But last year’s spike in background checks for gun purchases, which researchers say was to be expected during an election year fraught with civil unrest, is one of many bumps in a steady increase in gun purchases and ownership in the U.S., particularly among women.”If you follow the background checks over time, what you see is that they were relatively flat from around 2000 to around 2005 or 2006, and then they started to trend upwards,” Matthew Miller, an adjunct professor at Harvard School of Public Health, told VOA.Miller noted that there is no federal gun registry; therefore, the most common way to estimate gun purchases is by counting background checks.However, background checks are also conducted when gun owners apply for concealed carry permits or hunting licenses, making it more difficult for researchers to discern which checks were done for new gun owners in the United States.FILE – Jan Morgan, National Founder 2A Women, speaks during a pro gun rally in front of the Virginia State Capitol, Jan. 20, 2020, in Richmond, Va.While Privette and others noticed a spike in women owning or using guns last year, other firearm retailers and shooting range owners say the trend has been consistent over the past decade.”Thirty years ago, men were buying their wives or girlfriends guns — not anymore,” Jeff Stucker, owner of On Target in Asheville, North Carolina, told VOA. “I tell them, ‘You don’t let your husband buy your shoes, do you? Don’t let him buy your gun!'”The reasons more women are arming themselves vary greatly. Privette says a big one is that more women are living alone, regardless of their age.”A recurring thing that we see here is, ‘My husband has passed away and I have this gun. He kind of showed me how to use it. But now I’m by myself,'” Privette said, noting that many of her new clients are in their 60s and 70s.FILE – In this May 27, 2017, photo, a woman learns how to load a handgun magazine during a firearms class in Lawrenceville, Ga.Tyler said that when her husband is away, she sleeps better at night knowing that a firearm is in the house.”Being a 5-foot-4 woman (162.56 cm), I’m extremely uncomfortable being by myself,” she said.Both women also identified “civil unrest” and “increased violence” in their respective parts of the country as reasons their friends and clients purchased, or considered purchasing, a firearm.Both women also stress that they want all women to know how to safely and accurately operate a gun.Tyler has encouraged her mother to learn to handle a gun, as many of her family members are avid hunters, and Privette says her primary focus when training women is to ensure their safety.And not only more women but an increasing number of Black Americans have purchased guns, perhaps because they fear for their safety in the wake of the high-profile killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd in 2020.Miller, citing the preliminary data from Harvard’s study, estimates that about 20% of background checks tied to gun purchases were for Black Americans, with another 20% attributable to Hispanic Americans.But, of course, the claim that owning a gun makes a household safer is disputed.Miller notes that, in particular, the risk of suicide increases dramatically — up to fivefold — in households with guns.”It’s irrefutable,” he said.“I think when people buy guns, they don’t think about the risks they’re assuming for themselves or imposing on other people,” Miller said. “And when they do, they think more in terms of homicide and accidents when, in fact, suicide is responsible for nearly two-thirds of all the gun deaths in this country.”
…
US to Hold Belarus Accountable Amid Report of Border Closure, Says Senior Official
The U.S. government is aware of reports that Belarus has closed its border with neighboring Ukraine, a senior administration official said on Friday, vowing that Washington would continue to hold the government of President Alexander Lukashenko accountable for its actions.”It appears the Lukashenko regime is once again seeking to deflect attention away from its campaign of repression against its people,” the official said. “We will continue to stand with the Belarusan people and hold the regime accountable.”Lukashenko on Friday ordered the full closure of the country’s border with Ukraine, seeking to block what he called an inflow of weapons to coup-plotters detected by his security services, according to the BelTA state news agency.Washington this week banned ticket sales for air travel to and from Belarus, acting after Minsk forced a Ryanair flight to land and arrested a dissident journalist aboard.It was not immediately clear what further actions might be taken in response to Lukashenko’s harsh crackdown against months of pro-democracy protests over his alleged rigging of an August 2020 election. The longtime ruler denies election fraud.
…
Indonesian Police Block Streets on First Day of Tougher COVID-19 Curbs
Indonesian police threw up roadblocks and more than 400 checkpoints on the islands of Java and Bali to ensure hundreds of millions of people stayed home on Saturday, the first day of stricter curbs on movement to limit the spread of COVID-19.As it battles one of Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, the world’s fourth-most-populous nation has seen record new infections on eight of the past 12 days, with Friday bringing 25,830 cases and a high of 539 deaths.”We are setting up (patrols) in 21 locations where typically there are crowds,” Istiono, the head of national traffic police, who goes by one name, told a news conference late on Friday. “Where there are street stalls and cafes, we will close those streets, maybe from around 6 p.m. until 4 a.m.”Saturday’s more stringent curbs, from tighter travel checks to a ban on restaurant dining and outdoor sports and the closure of non-essential workplaces, will run until July 20, but could be extended, if needed, to bring daily infections below 10,000.More than 21,000 police officers as well as military will fan out across Indonesia’s most populous island of Java and the tourist resort island of Bali to ensure compliance with the new curbs, a police spokesperson said.At the roadblocks and checkpoints on the islands, police will conduct random tests and enforce curfews. Vaccinated travelers with a negative swab test will be permitted to make long-distance journeys, however.The highly infectious delta variant first identified in India, where it caused a spike in infections, is spreading in Indonesia and pushing hospitals across Java to the brink.Indonesia is set to receive vaccines donated by foreign countries to help speed its vaccination drive, which has covered just 7.6% of a target of 181.5 million people by January.Until now, it has relied mainly on a vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech.Indonesia’s tally of infections stands at 2.2 million, with a death toll of more than 59,500.
…