Ace Worldwide News Group 17:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), Ethiopia ( 13 ), TDF, Tigray ( 3 )

(ETHIOPIA) Tigray Crisis Report: Heavy fighting has broken out again after respite in several areas in the northern region of between rebels and federal troops, reports say today #AceNewsDesk report

Ethiopia’s Tigray Crisis: Heavy fighting has been reported: ‘The rebel Tigray Defence Force (TDF) said it had seized several towns, where witnesses have told the BBC they have seen its fighters patrolling’ but the federal Ethiopian army dismissed the claim, saying it was fake news:

Units of Ethiopian army patrol the streets of Mekelle city of the Tigray region — Ethiopia’s army took control of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, in November last year

This is the most serious fighting since November, when the Ethiopian government declared victory in the conflict.

Thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in the war that started almost eight months ago.

Following the fighting, some five million people in Tigray are in need of food aid and more than 350,000 are living in famine conditions, according to a recent UN-backed estimate.

The reports of the fighting comes as ballots are being counted from Monday’s general election. No voting took place in Tigray because of the security situation.

Rebel spokesman Gebre GebreTsadiq said that the TDF had launched the attack last week targeting several towns. He said the fighters had destroyed military vehicles and captured some soldiers.

Witnesses have told the BBC that rebel forces have entered the strategic town of Adigrat, which is just 45 km (30 miles) from the Eritrean border. If confirmed, this would be the most significant rebel advance since the war began.

TDF fighters have also been seen in several towns both to the north and south of the region’s capital of Mekelle.

Army spokesman Colonel Getnet confirmed there was fighting but denied that any towns, army equipment or soldiers had been captured.

“While the Ethiopian government was busy with the national elections and the GERD [Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam] issues, the terrorist TPLF [a key part of the TDF], along with its young recruits, was actively involved in terrorist activities,” he said.

He added that operations were underway to capture the rebel leaders.

Teklemariam Bekit, BBC Tigrinya This is the rebels’ biggest offensive since the conflict began in November last year. They suffered a series of setbacks at the start of the war, but now seem to have regrouped and are preparing for a long, brutal war.The timing is instructive, it started just days before the election which the ruling party is widely expected to win. The key question is: Will Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed use his electoral mandate to enter into talks with the rebels or he will press ahead with seeking victory on the battlefield? What is not in doubt is the rebels have sent a strong message to the rest of the world that Ethiopia is at war, despite the government’s narrative that the fighting was almost over. The reports of the rebel capture of Adigrat, which is within striking distance of Eritrea, would be significant, suggesting that Eritrean troops will not be withdrawing from Tigray any time soon despite growing international pressure. This war is set to linger for a long time, aggravating Tigray’s already dire food shortages and imminent famine.Ethiopia’s government, aided by troops from neighbouring Eritrea, launched an offensive in November last year to oust the region’s then ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). By the end of the month, it declared victory.The TPLF had had a massive fallout with Mr Abiy over his political reforms though its capture of federal military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion.The TPLF has since joined forces with other groups in Tigray to form the TDF.Speaking to the BBC on Monday after casting his vote in the twice delayed national election, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he was working with the Eritrean troops to get them to leave but said he would not “push them out”.They are accused of carrying out massacres, mass rape and blocking humanitarian aid – charges Eritrea has denied.He also denied that there was hunger in Tigray. He admitted there was a problem but said the government could fix it.Abiy Ahmed: We’re not pushing out the Eritrean troopsMr Abiy has also ruled out talks with the TPLF, which was labelled a terrorist organisation by the national government, in May.

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: Jun.23: 2021:

Editor says …Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily all of our posts fromTwitter can be found here: https://acetwitternews.wordpress.com/ and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com

#ethiopia, #tdf, #tigray

Ace Worldwide News Group 16:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: AceHealthDesk ( 154 ), AceHealthReport ( 152 ), CoronavirusNewsDesk ( 39 ), COVID19 ( 141 ), DHSC ( 2 ), GOVUK ( 15 ), London ( 320 )

(LONDON) #Coronavirus Report: Dominic Cummings tried to bypass the usual awarding process and fast-track a £530,000 government grant at the start of the pandemic, leaked emails suggest #AceHealthDesk report

#AceHealthReport – June.23: Further emails show civil servants had concerns about the timeframe and whether it was in line with the rules: The government said due diligence was followed in awarding the grant:

#CoronavirusNewsDesk – Dominic Cummings tried to bypass rules over £530k grant, emails suggest in an email, the PM’s ex-top aide told civil servants to “immediately” issue the cash with “no procurement, no lawyers, no meetings, no delay” and in a series of emails detailing discussions of the grant requested by Our World in Data were leaked to the BBC’s File on 4, the Guardian and Source Material.

Mr Cummings, who left his role in No 10 in November 2020, has been contacted for comment.

By File on 4
BBC News

Dominic Cummings — The PM’s former top aide told staff to “immediately” issue a £530,000 grant with “no procurement”

“We take these checks extremely seriously to ensure our contracts deliver results and value for money,” the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

The grant was eventually issued to the project: Our World in Data, a research project run by a charitable organisation with academics at Oxford University, in four instalments from summer 2020:

They begin with an email sent by the founder of the project, Max Roser, to William Warr, the prime minister’s health adviser, who had requested details on the funding it needed.

The organisation said it had to retain key members of staff who were generating data on the pandemic. It also wanted to hire extra contractors and needed financial support for the rising costs of servers and technical infrastructure.

The request was passed to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and a minute after he received the email he emailed Matthew Gould, the CEO of NHSX – the unit tasked with the NHS’ digital transformation – saying he supported the grant.

‘No delay’

An email from Mr Cummings to Mr Gould followed a couple of hours later, saying: “Someone please ensure that they have the 530k within 24 hours from now and report back to me it’s been sent.

“No procurement, no lawyers, no meetings, no delay please – just send immediately.”

Further emails suggested this caused disquiet among the civil servants because of the request to pay out the grant money much faster than was normal.

The DHSC’s internal guidance, seen by the BBC, says that directly awarding grants without any form of competition is discouraged. But ministers – such as Mr Hancock – have wide-ranging powers to do so.

The guidance is also clear that all grants should be subject to a series of timely checks and criteria. It says in some instances grants of more than £100,000 should be referred to an advice panel in the Cabinet Office.

These safeguards are in place to ensure value for money for taxpayers and to guard against corruption.

PA MediaHealth Secretary Matt Hancock gave his support to the grant

The following day, Mr Gould said his team could meet the request through the DHSC “and have the money in place by tomorrow”, but it would mean “waiving the normal grant-giving process”.

“I don’t want to do anything untoward, but given the secretary of state’s and Dom Cumming’s strong steer I’d really welcome your help/advice/green light,” he wrote to a colleague.

‘Processes weren’t followed’

A more junior civil servant responded saying the team needed to make the appropriate checks “to avoid leaving the accounting officer overly exposed”.

Then, more than 24 hours later, the same civil servant suggested possible solutions, setting out the minimum criteria that needed to be met if the grant was to be paid.

But he wrote: “Matthew [Gould], I need your help please to progress this to a point where there is enough air cover to justify a decision to proceed.”

Peter Smith, a former government commercial director and former senior adviser to the National Audit Office, said the “air cover” reference “means you’re doing something that… is going to go down badly with the media or the public so you need to have some backup, some explanation”.

The civil servant’s final email said: “I’m sorry I couldn’t just ‘make this happen’, but I share your concern about doing anything untoward.”

In fact, the organisation that had been looking for the money then put the brakes on the application. Our World in Data asked for more time to understand the implications of accepting government money and to consult its trustees.

It went on to receive the grant in instalments and the project said it complied with its own procedures.

Max Roser, the founder and director of the project, told the BBC a full grant application was submitted on 25 March 2020 and this was followed by an agreement dated 30 April 2020.

“I have no way to know the internal processes inside the government,” he said.

The project said its work had added value in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, with its testing and vaccination data web pages receiving about 65 million visitors.

Whitehall source told the BBC they had been instructed not to share information about the grant discussion: In my view that’s because it is so damaging to the NHSX: Dominic Cummings, Matt Hancock… everyone is just being very blatant that due process, and procedures, are being thrown out the window,” the source said.Speaking after being shown the leaked emails, Mr Smith said it was “quite clear that processes weren’t followed”, saying: “The attempt was to do it so quickly, clearly there was no time to do a proper due diligence.”He said senior people had put colleagues in the DHSC “into a very difficult position”.”So I think it was unethical, immoral, really, and yes, it was an abuse of power.”

Jolyon Maugham QC, director of the Good Law Project, said: “The government guidance talks about extra safeguards for sums above £100,000. This was well above £100,000.”There was no process that I can see before the decision was made to award this very substantial sum.”

The DHSC said: “Officials carried out due diligence and followed appropriate processes before this grant was awarded.”Every contract agreed by the government with partners has proper due diligence carried out on it.”Mr Warr has been contacted for comment.Reporting by Anna Meisel, Paul Connolly and Emma Harrison.

#AceHealthDesk report ……..Published: Jun.23: 2021:

Editor says …Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily all of our posts from Twitter can be found here: https://acetwitternews.wordpress.com/ and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/ and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com

#covid19, #dhsc, #govuk, #london

Ace Worldwide News Group 15:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Airport, Boston ( 22 ), Logan, NYC ( 5 ), Security ( 48 ), TSA ( 5 )

(BOSTON, Mass.) TSA REPORT: Travellers caught with throwing stars, other bladed weapons at Logan Airport as incidents are increasing #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: Sometimes, it can be a bit confusing figuring out whether an item is ok to bring on a plane or whether it needs to be put in a checked bag. According to the TSA, some travelers in Boston attempted to bring a variety of sharp weapons on a plane, including at least one throwing star.

BOSTON: The TSA shared images of the weapons and reminded travelers not to carry them onto planes also another traveller caught with at least 50-bullets in a carry-on-bag at NYC airport according to Michael Hollan of Fox News

Fox News Flash top headlines for June 22

Throwing stars aren’t meant for the friendly skies.

The TSA New England Twitter account shared images of the confiscated items, which also includes a variety of knives. The tweet doesn’t mention whether or not these items all came from one group of travelers or not.

The tweet states, “Let’s get straight to the point…these items are not allowed in your carry-on bag. Some passengers found that out this weekend when TSA officers at Boston Logan Airport detected these sharp objects. Sheathe these items and put them in your checked bag please!”

These are not the only unusual weapons recently discovered by TSA officers.

Authorities arrested a man at Newark Liberty International Airport when he was caught attempting to sneak a gun past security, NJ.com reports. According to the news outlet, the small weapon was packed in a case within the man’s suitcase and was reportedly designed to look like a belt buckle.

Unfortunately, it was discovered that the gun was functional. The man reportedly claimed that he had forgotten that he had packed the item in his luggage.

In a statement obtained by NJ.com, TSA Federal Security Director for New Jersey Thomas Carter said, “Claiming to forget that you have a gun with you is inexcusable. If you own a gun you need to know where it is at all times. Each of these individuals now faces a stiff federal financial penalty that could cost them thousands of dollars.”

#AceNewsDesk report ……Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#airport, #boston, #logan, #nyc, #security, #tsa

Ace Worldwide News Group 14:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Quartz, South Africa. Diamonds

(SOUTH AFRICA) Fortune seekers are seen below as they flock to the village after pictures and videos were shared on social media showing people celebrating after finding what they believe to be diamonds but they were quartz #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: Unidentified stones that lured thousands of fortune seekers to a rural South African village to mine the land with picks and shovels were not diamonds as hoped, officials said on Sunday, but quartz stones with relatively low, if any, value.

SOUTH AFRICA: ‘Officials Say, ‘Diamond Rush’ Unearths Only Quartz Crystals IN belief they were ALL going to be rich’

Fortune seekers are seen as they flock to the village after pictures and videos were shared on social media showing people celebrating after finding what they believe to be diamonds, in the village of KwaHlathi outside Ladysmith, in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

People from across South Africa travelled to KwaHlathi in the country’s eastern KwaZulu-Natal province where villagers had been digging since June 12 after a herder discovered the first stone in an open field and put out the word.

Provincial executive council member for economic development and tourism, Ravi Pillay, told a media briefing on Sunday he had counted some 3,000 there during a visit to the site, where samples were taken to identify the stones.

“The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds as some had hoped,” he said, adding they were in fact quartz crystals.

“The value, if any, of the quartz crystals is yet to be established but it must be mentioned that the value of quartz crystals is very low compared to that of diamonds.”

The event had highlighted the socio-economic challenges faced by local people, he continued. Like many areas in South Africa, high levels of unemployment and poverty have left communities living hand to mouth.

People in the area had also raised concerns specifically around roads and water during the visit, which officials at the briefing said they would address.

Meanwhile, the number of people mining the land had dwindled to less than 500, Pillay continued, though significant damage had already been done with an area of around 50 hectares covered in holes of up to one metre, posing a danger to cattle.

He said those that continue to mine in the area, a situation that also risks the spread of COVID-19, would be encouraged to leave, though law enforcement could be drawn upon if necessary.

SOURCE: Reuters

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#quartz, #south-africa-diamonds

Ace Worldwide News Group 13:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Chicago ( 16 ), CPD ( 2 ), Homless, Maryland ( 5 ), stabbing ( 57 )

(CHICAGO) CPD REPORT: Officers scour homeless camps for man who stabbed Maryland graduate student in brazen daylight attack #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: Investigators say grainy surveillance video captured the moment Anat Kimchi was attacked from behind around 4 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of South Wacker Drive Saturday while walking along the sidewalk near Eisenhower Expressway. The unidentified suspect ran off and has not been apprehended:

CHICAGO: ‘Anat Kimchi was a doctoral candidate studying criminal justice: Chicago police continue to hunt for the homeless suspect who fatally stabbed a 31-year-old woman since identified as a doctoral student studying criminal justice at the University of Maryland during a brazen daylight attack over the weekend that happened not far from the city’s financial district according to Danielle Wallace of Fox32’

Why is the media ignoring bloodbaths in cities like Chicago?

“As you can see, there is a homeless encampment that is adjacent to where this crime scene is,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters. “We suspect this likely is a homeless person that secreted themselves in the bushes and came out and committed this heinous crime.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a press conference Monday that officers were “scouring the various homeless encampments downtown” for the suspect responsible for the stabbing – but denied that the attack proves the touristy area near Willis Tower is unsafe, the Chicago Sun Times reported.

“We know who he is. We’ve got good film of him,” she said. “We believe he’s a homeless individual.”

But Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said at a later press conference that police still “are seeking the identity and the eventual arrest of the person who stabbed that female.” A witness told police the suspect – described as a man around age 30 with dreadlocks and wearing a red bandanna, a dark shirt and light-colored pants – came out of D’Angelo Park and stabbed the woman, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Anat Kimchi, 31, was a doctoral candidate studying criminal justice at the University of Maryland and was in Chicago visiting friends.

The suspect fled and discarded his shirt, which was later found by police. Surveillance footage appeared to capture the suspect throwing the knife he used to stab the woman into the Chicago River, according to the Tribune.

The broad-daylight stabbing happened in an area known as The Loop, which is about a block from the Willis Tower, a popular tourist destination, and not far from the city’s financial district, WJZ reported.

Brown on Saturday stressed that the woman was walking in a secluded area closer to the ramp to the expressway that’s not often frequented by pedestrians. A dispatcher reported over police radio transmission that the woman was found lying on the sidewalk bleeding from the neck, WBBM-TV reported. Kimchi was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Brown said police are using surveillance video to follow the path the suspect fled before disappearing beneath the Interstate 290 overpass. He said at least one witness was cooperating with detectives.

Kimchi was a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland in the department of criminology and criminal justice. She previously attended high school at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Md.

“Anat was already a notably accomplished scholar, but more importantly she was a remarkable woman who was beloved by friends and family,” University of Maryland Professor Gary LaFree wrote in an email disseminated to the campus community, according to Fox 32 Chicago.

“The University of Maryland grieves the loss of Anat Kimchi, a brilliant young scholar,” the school added in a statement. “We offer our condolences to her friends and family during this difficult time.”

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School set up a page to make donations in Kimchi’s honor. Her family said Kimchi was in Chicago visiting friends and asked for privacy while they mourn her death. Kimchi had worked with Choice Research Associates in recent years on projects that focused on disparities in probation sentences and evaluating the impact of placing female juvenile suspects in custody, the Times reported.

#AceNewsDesk report ……Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#chicago, #cpd, #homless, #maryland, #stabbing

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:55 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Belfast ( 31 ), DUP ( 2 ), Leadership, Northern Ireland ( 8 )

(BELFAST, N.I) DUP Leadership Report: Edwin Poots steps down and Paul Givan takes a temporary position as the only candidate now is Jeffrey Donaldson ….Third time lucky? #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: Edwin Poots announced his resignation last week after an internal party revolt, leaving the DUP looking for a third leader in a matter of weeks:

NORTHERN IRELAND: DUP Leadership: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is only candidate: Lagan Valley MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is the only candidate to succeed Edwin Poots as Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader after nominations closed at midday on Tuesday.

Sir Jeffrey’s name will go forward to the party’s electoral college, which is expected to meet on Saturday.

Anyone interested in the position had to submit their names to the party chairman Lord Morrow, backed by a proposer and a seconder.

After the meeting of the electoral college he will have to be ratified as party leader at a meeting of the DUP executive, which could take place next week.

He would become the party’s fifth leader in its 50-year history: BBC News NI looks back at the six weeks that led to Edwin Poots being elected and then resigning as leader of the DUP

In a statement issued after the nomination process closed, Sir Jeffrey said he had the “vision to unite Northern Ireland and heal the divisions of the past”.

“The task ahead is great,” he said.

“I do not underestimate the challenge but I know the overwhelming majority of people who live here want Northern Ireland to keep moving forward.”

Sir Jeffrey has previously said he would leave Westminster to run for the Stormont assembly in order to be Northern Ireland’s first minister if he became DUP leader.

Such a move would mean a by-election would take place to fill his seat in Lagan Valley.

We know that Sir Jeffrey Donaldson wants to be Northern Ireland’s first minister so that means he needs to find a seat in the Stormont assembly.He will need to get his political ducks in a row to find a path from Westminster to Belfast.The clearest way is through the co-option process, which allows a party to replace an assembly member without a by-election, although it remains to be seen which constituency he would target.

There is no sign that the two DUP MLAs in his political powerbase of Lagan Valley – Paul Givan and Edwin Poots – will be stepping down anytime soon.The only obvious vacancy coming up in the near future is in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, the political home of Arlene Foster.Lord Morrow said the past few weeks had been “difficult for the party and mistakes have been made”.

The peer added: “Now is the time to move forward in a spirit of humility and mindful that our focus must be on serving the people whom we represent.”I look forward to the challenges of rebuilding and reconnecting in the time ahead.”Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said he looked forward to working with Sir Jeffrey and the Stormont executive to “deliver on the shared interests of all the people of Northern Ireland”.’

‘Decisive action’Sir Jeffrey has already outlined his priorities and has said the number one issue is the dealing with the post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland, known as the protocol.

The mechanism, which was part of the UK-EU Brexit deal, keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU single market for goods, ensuring free trade across the Irish border: However, it has placed additional restrictions on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, prompting unionists to complain of there being an Irish Sea border.

On Tuesday, Sir Jeffrey said he wanted to speak to Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the protocol “at the earliest opportunity”.He said he would “emphasise that it is not realistic to expect stability when every unionist representative in the devolved institutions opposes the Northern Ireland Protocol”.”The government and those who claim to be protectors of peace and stability must step up and deal with the protocol in a manner which respects the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom,” he added: Who is the man set to be the DUP’s new leader?‘

Pacemaker Edwin Poots says there is a section of the DUP that struggled to accept he won the leadershipThe leadership vacancy arose when Mr Poots resigned after just 21 days in the position he took over from Arlene Foster.

He had defeated Sir Jeffrey in the party’s first leadership election on 14 May by 19 votes to 17.Mr Poots’ resignation came after he agreed a deal with Sinn Féin and the UK government over provisions for Irish language legislation.Sinn Féin had refused to nominate a deputy first minister unless such a commitment was made.Without nominations within seven days of Mrs Foster stepping down as first minister within the joint office, an election could have been called.A continued impasse could have led to a suspension of Stormont.A majority of DUP MPs and MLAs opposed Mr Poots’ plans to nominate Paul Givan as first minister in an internal revolt at a party meeting.Mr Poots was then summoned to a meeting of DUP officers on Thursday evening, after which he announced his resignation.Liam McBurney/PA WirePaul Givan looks set to be the shortest-serving first minister of Northern Ireland

Speaking in an interview with Sky News on Monday, he said: “There was a section in the party that struggled to accept that I won the election, that I won it democratically, I won it fairly.”That’s how things are now, that I’ve been forced into a resignation.”In terms of the support I received, it didn’t come from people that it should have and that’s just a reality that everybody knows.”Who is Sir Jeffrey Donaldson?PacemakerSir Jeffrey, born in Kilkeel, County Down, became politically active as a constituency agent for the South Down MP Enoch Powell (above, left) in the mid-1980s before working as a personal assistant to the former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader James Molyneaux.

After James Molyneaux retired as an MP in 1997, Sir Jeffrey was voted as his successor as MP for Lagan Valley, retaining the seat through six subsequent elections: He is a member of the Orange Order and also served as a corporal in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) during the Troubles.In 2003, following long-standing opposition to the Good Friday Agreement and the leadership of David Trimble, he announced he would leave the UUP, later joining the DUP, along with Arlene Foster and Norah Beare. He was appointed to the Privy Council, a body which advises the monarchy, in 2007 and stood down as an MLA for Lagan Valley in 2010.He was awarded a knighthood in 2016 for political service.Sir Jeffrey was defeated by 19 votes to 17 in the DUP leadership election to succeed Arlene Foster in May:

#AceNewsDEsk report ……..Published: June.23: 2021:

Editor says …Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily all of our posts from Twitter can be found here: https://acetwitternews.wordpress.com/ and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/ and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com

#belfast, #dup, #leadership, #northern-ireland

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Convicted ( 5 ), Glasgow ( 4 ), jailed ( 31 ), Scotland ( 58 ), sentenced ( 35 )

(SCOTLAND) Glasgow Court Report: A former prison officer has been told he must serve a minimum of 20 years for murdering his friend and dumping her naked body in a forest in April 2019: #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: Ross Willox, 42, killed Emma Faulds, 39, after a party at his house in Monkton, South Ayrshire, in April 2019: The youth worker’s body was found six weeks later after CCTV and mobile phone analysis was used to narrow down the remote search area:

Emma Faulds Murder: ‘Ross Willox jailed for at least 20 years after he was convicted of the murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month’

BBC Police Scotland

On Tuesday, he was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 20 years before he can apply for parole.

Judge Lord Mulholland told him: “Only you will know what happened in your house that night that led to you killing your friend.

“Having murdered her you created an elaborate scheme to cover up your crime.”

He said that Willox placed Emma’s body in a shallow grave and covered it up, and tried to ensure it would decompose more quickly by placing it in a wet area.

Lord Mulholland added: “You hoped it would never be found and her devoted family would have to spend the rest of their lives wondering where she was and if she was alive or dead.”

It is still not known why or how Willox killed Emma, whom he had been friends with since they worked together as prison wardens at HMP Kilmarnock.

Detectives said the pair, who had a platonic relationship, had agreed to meet at his house in Monkton for a party on Sunday 28 April 2019.

At about 20:00, Emma messaged a friend to say she planned to have a few drinks and stay over.

Missing posters were distributed soon after Emma disappeared

Emma was usually in frequent contact with her loved ones, but no-one heard from her the following day.

Her mother, Margaret, said this was “totally out of character”.

The alarm was raised on 30 April after Mrs Faulds learned that Emma had not turned up for work at Kibble School in Paisley.

When police officers broke in to Emma’s flat in Kilmarnock they found that her pet dog, Maverick, was home alone.

As the last person to see her alive, Willox became the immediate focus of the investigation, codenamed Operation Solzen.

PA Media: Police and forensic teams at Willox’s house in Monkton, South Ayrshire

He told officers that Emma had decided to drive back to her flat, which was less than nine miles away, at about 23:00.

He said Emma had been “positive and upbeat and enjoying herself” and was talking about her forthcoming 40th birthday.

The trial heard he twice called the police for updates on the case and gave different accounts to Emma’s sister, Sarah, about how she left his home in Monkton.

Footage from a dash-cam revealed that Emma’s car was parked outside Willox’s house at 17:39 on April 28.

But at about 07:25 the following day Emma’s neighbour told the jury he saw a man driving the vehicle in Fullerton Street, Kilmarnock.Emma Faulds murder: CCTV shows killer cleaning woman’s car

The driver was also captured on private CCTV wiping down the interior of the car. Willox’s DNA was later found on a seat lever.

The jury heard Willox did not join Emma’s family and friends when they put up posters and distributed leaflets after she was reported missing.

As the search for Emma intensified, experts began to plot Willox’s movements using CCTV and cell site analysis of his mobile phones.

They also discovered he used to build wind farms near the Galloway Forest, in Dumfries and Galloway.

He was caught on camera making two journeys to the remote area in the days following Emma’s disappearance.

CCTV footage was also discovered showing Willox going into various shops in Ayr and buying bleach, rubber gloves and tins of outdoor disinfectant.

Crown OfficeRoss Willox was seen on CCTV buying bleach, rubber gloves and outdoor disinfectant

Police drafted in search experts from the UK National Crime Agency, as well as an officer who had expert knowledge of Galloway Forest Park – which covers about 300 square miles.

By examining the cell site analysis from Willox’s phones and CCTV from the routes he took in the 48 hours after Emma vanished, digital forensic experts were able to narrow down the search area.

On 12 June, six weeks after Emma disappeared, her naked body was found in Glentrool Forest, east of Loch Moan.

A pathologist was unable to confirm how Emma died due to the “degree of decomposition”.

But the jury was told that soil found on boots owned by Willox was a 92% match for mud at the spot where the body was recovered.

‘Selfish, arrogant monster’

Prosecutor Paul Kearney told the jury Willox had made a “determined attempt to create a false narrative to conceal and destroy evidence”.

Donald Findlay QC, who was acting for Willox, said it would not be appropriate to express any contrition on behalf of his client, who denies he was responsible.

Mr Findlay added: “He is not the kind of person I would have expected to have found himself guilty of a crime of murder, murder of somebody that he knew and cared for – they cared for each other, not in any romantic sense, but as friends.

“Something catastrophic went wrong in the early hours of the morning, and one life was lost.”

Det Insp Peter Crombie described the killer as “a selfish, arrogant monster” and said he compounded the agony of Emma’s loved ones by failing to admit his crime.

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#convicted, #glasgow, #jailed, #scotland, #sentenced

Ace Worldwide News Group 10:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 13 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), #Claudette ( 2 ), storm ( 5 ), Tempretures, USA ( 35 )

(USA) LATEST: Tropical Storm #Claudette heads out to sea and East US is left with massive flooding risk and high temperatures #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: It is forecast to move off the Northeast coast by late Tuesday and off the Southeast coast by Wednesday morning: The front extends from the Northeast to the Southern Plains.

#AceDailyNews says …Tropical Storm #Claudette heads out to sea after causing at least 14-deaths as the National Weather forecast: Eastern US faces flooding risk with high temperatures being expected to fall in the days ahead according to Adam Klotz of Fox News

A frontal boundary continues to bring showers and thunderstorms as it sweeps across the eastern U.S.

Storm reports in the last 24 hours. (Fox News)

Humid air in front of the boundary will lead to showers and thunderstorms into late Tuesday night: There is a slight risk of heavy rain that could produce localized flooding and flash flooding in urban areas and on roads: Cooler air will then move in behind that frontal boundary, bringing not only lower temperatures but a decrease in humidity values.

Forecast high temperatures for Tuesday. (Fox News)

Daytime highs from the Midwest to the Northeast will fall back into the 60s and 70s over the next several days: However, Western states will continue to battle high temperatures.

Highs in many Texas cities will climb into the 90s on Tuesday: Additionally, large portions of the West will see highs in the upper 80s and 90s:

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#claudette, #storm, #tempretures, #usa

Ace Worldwide News Group 09:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Canada ( 45 ), Killed ( 102 ), Mexico City ( 10 )

(MEXICO CITY) JUST IN: Fear has invaded in the border city of Reynosa after gunmen in vehicles killed at least 14 people, including taxis drivers, workers and a nursing student, and security forces responded with operations that left four suspects dead #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: While this city across the border from McAllen, Tx. Is used to cartel violence as a key trafficking point, the 14 victims in Saturday’s attacks appeared to be what Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca called “innocent citizens” rather than members of one gang killed by a rival:

MEXICO CITY: Fear shakes border city after violence leaves 18 dead as authorities say they are investigating the attacks and haven’t provided a motive as US EXTENDS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AT CANADA, MEXICO LAND BORDERS THROUGH TO JULY 21

Associated Press

Fox News Flash top headlines for June 21

Local businessman Misael Chavarria Garza said many businesses closed early Saturday after the attacks and people were very scared as helicopters flew overhead: On Sunday, he said “the people were quiet as if nothing had happened, but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people.”

Law enforcement officials say gunmen aboard a number of vehicles have staged attacks in several neighborhoods in the Mexican border city of Reynosa. (AP)

“It’s not fair,” said taxi driver Rene Guevara, adding that among the dead were two of his fellow taxi drivers whom he defended and said were not involved in crime.

The attacks took place in several neighborhoods in eastern Reynosa, according to the Tamaulipas state agency that coordinates security forces, and sparked a deployment of the military, National Guard and state police across the city. Images posted on social media showed bodies in the streets.

Authorities say they are investigating the attacks and haven’t provided a motive.

But the area’s criminal activity has long been dominated by the Gulf Cartel and there have been fractures within that group: Experts say there has been an internal struggle within the group since 2017 to control key territories for drug and human trafficking. Apparently, one cell from a nearby town may have entered Reynosa to carry out the attacks:

Olga Ruiz, whose 19-year-old brother Fernando Ruiz was killed by the gunmen, said her sibling was working as a plumber and bricklayer in a company owned by his stepfather to pay for his studies.

“They killed him in cold blood, he and two of his companions,” said Olga Ruiz, adding that the gunmen arrived where her brother was fixing a drain.

“They heard the gunshots from afar and my stepfather told him: ‘son, you have to take shelter.’ So he asked permission to enter a house but my brother and his companions were only about to enter when the vehicles arrived,” Ruiz said. “They stopped in front of them and started to shoot.”

On Saturday, authorities detained a person who was transporting two apparently kidnapped women in the trunk of a car.

Security is one of the great challenges facing the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador: He has assured Mexicans that he is fighting the root causes of the violence and since the beginning of his administration in December 2018, he has advocated “hugs, not bullets” in dealing with criminals. He also says he is fighting corruption to stop the infiltration of organized crime among authorities:

But the violence continues.

“Criminal organizations must receive a clear, explicit and forceful signal from the Federal Government that there will be no room for impunity, nor tolerance for their reprehensible criminal behavior,” said García Cabeza de Vaca of the rival National Action Party. “In my government there will be no truce for the violent.”

But García Cabeza de Vaca himself is being investigated by the federal prosecutor’s office for organized crime and money laundering – accusations he says are part of plan by López Obrador’s government to attack him for being an opponent.

Tamaulipas – the state where the Zetas cartel arose and where the Gulf Cartel continues to operate – has seen several of its past governors from the Institutional Revolutionary Party accused of corruption and links to organized crime. One former governor, Tomás Yarrington, was extradited to the United States from Italy in 2018 on drug trafficking charges.

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#canada, #killed, #mexico-city

Ace Worldwide News Group 08:00 on 23/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Chicago ( 16 ), Iowa ( 6 ), shooting ( 42 ), Suspect

(IOWA) JUST IN: Liam County Sheriffs Office Report: Cop shooter is caught after help from TV news crew, police say #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.23: Stanley Donahue, 36, of Chicago, is now facing charges including robbery and attempted murder following the shooting that occurred late Sunday night at a Casey’s General Store in Coggon, according to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office:

IOWA: Stanley Donahue accused of firing at Linn County sheriff’s deputy as police are crediting a local television news crew with helping catch a suspect accused of shooting a sheriff’s deputy multiple times.

Greg Norman

Stanley Donahue, left, is accused of shooting Linn County Sheriff's Deputy William Halverson. (Linn County Sheriff's Office)

Around 1 p.m. Monday in Coggon, a “KCRG news crew observed a person matching the description in the area being searched and contacted law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “Law enforcement arrived shortly after and took Donahue into custody.”

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner called the shooting “tragic and needless,” adding that it “resulted in serious injuries to one of our deputies who was merely doing his job to protect the citizens of Linn County.”

The wounded officer – identified as William Halverson, a seven-year veteran of the department – is now in stable condition at a local hospital.

Police say Donahue had escaped the scene after opening fire at the officer, who was responding to an alarm going off at the Casey’s store.

“Upon entering the front door the deputy was immediately met by an armed suspect trying to leave the store,” the sheriff’s office said. “The suspect fired a handgun multiple times striking the deputy.”

Donahue then raced out of the area in a van and was pursued by another responding deputy before crashing the vehicle in Coggon and fleeing on foot, police added.

#AceNewsDesk report ……..Published: Jun.23: 2021:

#chicago, #iowa, #shooting, #suspect

Ace Worldwide News Group 17:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), No-Confidence-Vote, Sweden ( 8 )

(STOCKHOLM, Sweden.) Parliament Report: Stefan Lofven of the Social Democratics prime minister since 2014, lost a confidence vote on Monday of 181-109 and there were 51 abstentions #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: The vote was initiated by the small Left Party, an ally of the minority government that is not in the two-party centre-left coalition but had provided votes to pass the government’s legislation:

STOCKHOLM: PM Stefan Lofven, Social Democratic prime minister since 2014, lost a confidence vote in parliament on Monday amid a housing crisis and skyrocketing real estate prices, making him the first Swedish government leader ever to lose such a motion.

Posted Yesterday at 3:00pm, updated Yesterday at 8:22pm

Swedish PM Stefan Lofven stands at a podium looking defeated after losing the no-confidence vote. — Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven at a news conference after the no-confidence vote in Stockholm, June 21.(Reuters: TT News Agency/Andres Wiklund)

Key points:

The Left Party said it had lost confidence in the government over a proposal to abolish rent controls
Sweden’s last election produced a hung parliament and a minority government
Under Sweden’s constitution, Mr Lofven has a week to either call an early election or ask the parliament’s speaker to choose a new government

The vote was 181-109 in favour of a motion that confidence had been lost in Mr Lofven, and there were 51 abstentions.

The Left Party said it lost confidence in Mr Lofven over a proposal to abolish rent controls on newly built properties.

Sweden has strict regulations on rents aimed at maintaining affordable prices in larger cities.

However, this acts as a disincentive for property developers building new homes for the rental market.

Swedish Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar speaks at a press conference after the no-confidence vote — Sweden’s Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar initiated the motion against Mr Lofven.(Reuters: TT News Agency/Nils Petter Nilsson)

People needing to rent a home can find themselves waiting for years for a contract, and buying property is increasingly hard amid soaring home prices.

However, the Left Party fears that deregulating the rental market will lead to rapid price increases and deeper segregation between rich and poor.

It is unclear what will happen next in Sweden.

Under the Swedish constitution, the prime minister has one week to decide whether to call an early election or ask the parliament’s speaker to find a new government.

After the vote, Mr Lofven, 63, said that “regardless of what happens, I and my party will be available to shoulder the responsibility for leading the country.”

“My focus has and will always be to do the best for Sweden,” he added.

“I want to take some time, not necessarily the whole week, but the time required for us to get a carefully selected line. This is very serious for Sweden,” he said.

Over the weekend, Mr Lofven held last-minute meetings seeking to secure a majority in parliament for his proposed rent reforms.

Sweden's PM, housing and finance ministers arrive to Parliament for the no-confidence motion in Stockholm. — The Swedish PM, Housing Minister and Finance Minister arrive at parliament for the no-confidence vote.(Reuters: TT News Agency/Nils Petter Nilsson)

On Sunday, he sought to soften the reforms by inviting landlords and tenant organisations for talks.

However, Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar said the party was standing by its decision to oppose Mr Lofven and said his effort was “a political show.”

“We have done something that is perceived as unusual in politics … kept our word,” she said.

An unlikely alliance to oust the PM

The Left Party’s initiative was supported by the three other parties, including the Sweden Democrats, a right-wing populist party which the mainstream parties generally refuse to cooperate with because they consider it extreme.

The Sweden Democrats made huge gains in an election in September 2018 to become the country’s third-largest party — a showing that was attributed to a backlash against largescale migration.

In 2015, Sweden, with a population of 10 million, took in a record 163,000 refugees – the highest per capita of any European country.

That election produced a hung parliament, with the left-leaning side and the centre-right bloc securing about 40 per cent of the vote each, leaving neither with a majority.

In January 2019, Swedish lawmakers approved Mr Lofven’s minority government, ending a four-month political deadlock when he won support from two centre-right parties to form a minority government.

In 2014, Mr Lofven brought the Social Democrats, a centre-left party, back to power in Sweden after having been in opposition since 2006.

AP/ABC/AAP/

#AceNewsDesk report ……….Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#no-confidence-vote, #sweden

Ace Worldwide News Group 16:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: AceHealthDesk ( 154 ), AceHealthReport ( 152 ), CoronavirusNewsDesk ( 39 ), COVID19 ( 141 ), IT, London ( 320 ), Passport ( 3 ), U.K. ( 51 ), Vaccine ( 10 )

(LONDON) JUST IN: #Coronavirus Report: The British government has been accused of aiming to covertly implement a national ID programme, after it partnered with a company that has advocated turning vaccine passports into a multi-purpose document #AceHealthDesk report

#AceHealthReport – June.22: Entrust, an IT firm that bills itself as a “global leader in identities, payments, and data protection,” was awarded a contract by the Department of Health and Social Care last month to work on the UK’s Covid-19 vaccine certificate system.

#CoronavirusNewsDesk – ‘UK govt gave contract to IT firm that is ‘openly plotting’ to turn vaccine passports into a national ID card, privacy group warns but opening up society after #COVID19 will come at a cost’

21 Jun, 2021 10:35 / Updated 2 hours ago

UK govt gave contract to IT firm that is ‘openly plotting’ to turn vaccine passports into a national ID card, privacy group warns

The company was given £250,000 ($346,000) to provide cloud-computing services for the government’s Covid-status certification scheme, iNews reported. The contract is due to expire in March 2022, but the government has the option of extending it for an additional year.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock stated last month that proof of vaccination will be “necessary” for international travel, and in recent weeks reports have emerged claiming that the UK government may require the document of people attending sporting events or other large gatherings.

Judging from Entrust’s own stance on the issue, it’s possible that the government may have even more ambitious plans for the digital certificate. In a February blog post published on the company’s website, Jann Markey, Entrust’s product marketing director, argued that the advent of the vaccine passports could be used as an opportunity to roll out a national ID as part of “the infrastructure of the new normal.” Vaccine passports, voter ID and anti-protest laws are marching the UK into authoritarianism, but why should I bother resisting?

“Consider a national ID strategy: With the infrastructure and investment necessary to ensure a viable vaccine passport, why not redeploy this effort into a national citizen ID programme that can be used for multiple purposes including the secure delivery of government services, secure cross-border travel, and documentation of vaccination,” the blog, which explores vaccine passports in the “post-pandemic world,” states.

Notably, the US-based company has already helped Albania, Ghana and Malaysia deploy national ID systems, iNews said.

Entrust’s partnership with the UK government has already raised alarm among civil liberties organisations and lawmakers.

Tory MP David Davis, a member of the anti-lockdown Covid Recovery Group, demanded an explanation from the government. He told iNews that it was “extraordinary” that the health department could ink deals with such companies without first getting permission from Parliament, adding that it was particularly worrying that a contract could be given to a firm “with this sinister attitude to surveillance of citizens.”

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith echoed similar displeasure, claiming that the contract contradicts the “stated position of the government” and should be nixed. Biopolitical surveillance regimes’: Vaccine passports reveal the growing authoritarian tendencies of Western governments

Big Brother Watch, a privacy and civil liberties group, said the Entrust contract represents an attempt by the government to issue ID cards “by the backdoor.”

“The fact that the government has done a deal with Entrust, a company which is openly plotting a route from vaccine passports to digital identity cards, only underlines what a serious threat Covid passes would be to our civil liberties and our privacy,” the organisation’s head of research, Jake Hurfurt, warned.

A health department spokesperson insisted that the NHS app used to certify vaccination status will not be used as a national ID system, describing the scheme as a “simple and secure means” to allow for international travel. Entrust declined to comment when contacted by iNews.

#AceHealthDesk report ………Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#it, #london, #passport, #u-k, #vaccine

Ace Worldwide News Group 15:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Activists ( 39 ), France ( 113 ), Glyphosate ( 3 ), GM Watch

(PARIS, France.) Court Report: On 1 June, 21 anti-glyphosate activists were acquitted of criminal damage by a court in Foix, for making containers of glyphosate-based herbicides (like Roundup) unsellable by covering them with paint #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: Their defence lawyer Guillaume Tumerelle argued that their actions during their three protests had been justified by the toxicity of glyphosate-based herbicides:

FRANCE: On 1 June, 21 anti-glyphosate activists were acquitted court rules anti-glyphosate protest necessary and proportional to protect public health GM Watch reported.

Citizen demonstration during trial of anti-glyphosate activists.jpg

Court says given the “particularly insidious” dangers of glyphosate-based herbicides, the activists’ actions were justified

Good News! Anti-glyphosate activists acquitted of criminal damage by a French Court in Foix, France. BAN #Roundup and all #glyphosate-based herbicides.

READ: https://t.co/O2n6euzSXQ pic.twitter.com/eKOW4xGcnp
— GMO Free USA (@GMOFreeUSA) June 21, 2021

The judgement has now been published. In giving the court’s reasons for acquitting the anti-glyphosate protesters, it notes the established dangers of glyphosate products, in particular, and of the “cocktail effect” of the different chemicals mixed together in pesticide formulations.

The court noted that the American victims in the Roundup cancer litigation demonstrated that their diseases were linked not to glyphosate alone but to Roundup, the toxicity of which was greater due to the interaction of the active substance with other substances (co-formulants) present in the herbicide.

The judgement goes on to say that the massive use of pesticides constitutes a major public health issue — both for users and their families, as well as for rural residents and the population in general via contamination of air, water, soil, and food.

The judgement concludes, “In the face of this danger, this necessary action aimed at informing the population as well as the managers of the shops in question, in the face of this particularly insidious danger, meets the requirement of proportionality required by the notion of a state of necessity: it was carried out without violence, and was limited since the defendants, during their interventions, took care to deploy a protective tarpaulin on the ground when marking the cans on the ground and did not damage either the shop or any other products other than the ones in question.”

The defendants were therefore acquitted.

A statement by the office of lawyer Tumerelle said, “We would like to thank all the witnesses, scientists, doctors, farmers, and activists who work with us on a daily basis to inform about and highlight these issues. We welcome the decision of the court which, we have no doubt, will have a considerable impact in bringing about changes in legislation and practices.”

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#activists, #france, #glyphosate, #gm-watch

Ace Worldwide News Group 14:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 13 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Birmingham ( 36 ), Oldbury, U.K. WMP ( 3 )

(BIRMINGHAM, U.K) WM Police Report: Officers have launched a murder investigation after a shooting in Tividale, Oldbury, in the early hours of this morning (Sunday 20 June) #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital but sadly was later pronounced dead:

#AceDailyNews says ……A murder investigation has been launched after shooting in Oldbury and officers were called to Dudley Road East at just before 1.30am, where a man was found with serious gunshot wounds.

20th June 2021

Our investigation is in the early stages and we have closed off the area as forensic examinations are carried out.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact us via live chat on our website or call us on 101, quoting crime number 20/1126386/21.

#AceNewsDesk report ………Published:Jun.21: 2021:

#birmingham, #oldbury, #u-k-wmp

Ace Worldwide News Group 13:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 13 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Apple Daily, Hong Kong ( 44 ), Lai ( 2 ), pro-democracy ( 5 )

(HONG KONG) LATEST: Apple Daily Pro-Democracy Paper rumoured to close in days after raid by police officers and removal of material #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: Authorities last week froze HK$18m ($2.3m; £1.64m) of assets owned by three companies linked to Apple Daily:

#AceDailyNews reported that HK sends 500 officers to raid pro-democracy paper the other day as Pro-democracy paper Apple Daily could be forced to shut down in a “matter of days”, said an adviser of the paper’s jailed founder Jimmy Lai and there is a rush to buy Apple Daily after police raid

A supporter of two executives from Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, chief editor Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung, holds up a copy of the newspaper during a protest outside court in Hong Kong on June 19, 2021.

Mark Simon told the BBC that the paper could “do nothing while none of its bank accounts are functioning”.

Apple Daily, a well-read tabloid, is frequently critical of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese leadership.

“If you don’t have money you can’t order services. Most importantly, you can’t promise to pay people when you don’t have access to the cash to cover those expenses. That’s illegal in Hong Kong,” said Mr Simon.

“The paper is still on the news stands today but it is only a matter of days before it won’t be there unless its bank accounts are unfrozen.”

The paper’s publisher, Next Digital, is holding a board meeting on Monday to discuss the paper’s future.

Apple Daily had on Sunday said it only had enough cash to continue normal operations for “several weeks”

The Hong Kong paper that pushed the boundary

What has happened to Apple Daily?

Last Thursday, some 500 police officers raided the offices of Apple Daily in Hong Kong, saying its reports had breached the national security law.

Police also arrested the editor-in-chief and four other executives at their homes and froze HK$18m ($2.3m; £1.64m) of assets owned by three companies linked to Apple Daily – Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD internet Limited.

Photos published online by Apple Daily showed police going through reporters’ computers.

In a statement, police said their warrant “covered the power of searching and seizure of journalistic materials”.

In a press briefing later that day, police said that Apple Daily had published more than 30 articles calling on countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and mainland China since 2019.

Jimmy Lai, the paper’s founder, is currently in jail for a series of charges, including participating in an unauthorised assembly in 2019.

Who is Jimmy Lai?

Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Jimmy Lai: The Hong Kong billionaire becomes emotional as he faces prison

Estimated to be worth more than $1bn (£766m), he made his initial fortune in the clothing industry and later ventured into media and founded Next Digital.

In May, authorities froze assets belonging to Lai, including his bank accounts and his stake of 71.26% in Next Digital – estimated to be worth $45m.

Banking giants HSBC and Citibank were also sent letters by Hong Kong’s security chief, who threatened up to seven years’ jail for any dealings with Mr Lai’s accounts in the city.

In his last interview with the BBC before he was sentenced to jail, he said he would not give in to intimidation.

“If they can induce fear in you, that’s the cheapest way to control you and the most effective way and they know it. The only way to defeat the way of intimidation is to face up to fear and don’t let it frighten you,” he said.

How has China cracked down on Hong Kong dissent?

The national security law was introduced in 2020 in response to massive pro-democracy protests that swept the city state the previous year.

It essentially reduced Hong Kong’s judicial autonomy and made it easier to punish demonstrators. It criminalises secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces with the maximum sentence life in prison.

Beijing said the law would target “sedition” and bring stability, but critics have said it violates the agreement under which Britain handed back Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Since the law was enacted in June, more than 100 people have been arrested under its provisions, including Lai.

Reporting by the BBC’s Peter Hoskins

#apple-daily, #hong-kong, #lai, #pro-democracy

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:55 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), #Olympics2020, Paralympics, Tokyo ( 51 ), TokyoOlympics2020

(TOKYO) #Olympics2020 Report: Up to 10,000 Japanese fans will be permitted at venues, despite warnings from health bosses with overseas visitors banned #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: Overseas spectators are already banned but organisers said domestic fans could attend providing crowds did not exceed 50% of a venue’s capacity:

#TokyoOlympics2020 – Up to 10,000 Japanese fans will be permitted at Olympic venues: they are scheduled to begin on 23 July, while the Paralympics follow a month later, from 24 August and will be notified by July.15:

Tokyo Olympic rings lit up at night — Tokyo 2020

Fans will not be allowed to shout or speak loudly, and must wear face masks at all times while in venues.

The Olympics are scheduled to begin on 23 July, while the Paralympics follow a month later, from 24 August.

Spectator numbers for the Paralympics will be confirmed by 16 July, said a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the government of Japan.

The decision to allow spectators comes despite the release of a report last week by Japanese medical experts that said holding the Games without spectators was the “least risky” and most desirable option.

“There are so many cases, domestically and internationally [of] sports events with spectators,” said Tokyo 2020 organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto.

“By exercising thorough measures and based on the government criteria, we believe we can hold the Games with spectators.

“The entire world is facing the same issues and we have to work together to overcome them.”

Delegates and sponsors will be classed as organisers, and therefore will not be included in the 10,000 spectator limit.

Should there be a rapid increase in Covid-19 infections and impact on Japan’s healthcare systems, the five parties will consider further restrictions.

This could include further reducing spectator numbers at venues.

There are fears that the Games may trigger a surge in coronavirus infections in Japan.

As a result, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last week encouraged the Japanese public to watch the Games on television, rather than attending events in person.

On Sunday, a state of emergency in Tokyo was lifted, five weeks before the start of the Olympics.

Emergency Covid-19 restrictions had been in place in Japan’s capital and other prefectures since late April amid a surge in infections.

However, some “quasi-emergency” measures will remain in some areas, including Tokyo, until 11 July.

On Saturday, a Ugandan athlete because the first to test positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Japan.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes takes a look at how the athletes’ village hopes to mitigate the risk of Covid

#AceNewsDesk report …………Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#olympics2020, #paralympics, #tokyo

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Childline, children ( 42 ), Images, IWF, London ( 320 )

(LONDON) JUST IN: IWF REPORT: New tool has been launched with childline to empower children to remove nude images online #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: Childline and the IWF launch new tool to help young people remove nude images that have been shared online:

New tool empowers children and young people to stop spread of nude images online that works to help young people get nude images or videos removed from the internet has been launched this week by the NSPCC’s Childline service and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).

The Report Remove tool can be used by any young person under 18 to report a nude image or video of themselves that has appeared online. The IWF will then review this content and work to have it removed if it breaks the law.

Childline and the IWF launch new tool to help young people remove nude images that have been shared online

The IWF has seen reports of self-generated images more than double in the first three months of this year, compared with the same period last year increasing from 17,500 to 38,000.

The circumstances in which a young person may share a self-generated sexual image can vary. Some may have sent an image for fun, or to a boyfriend or girlfriend which has then subsequently been shared without their consent. Whilst others may have been groomed online orblackmailed into sharing this content.

Trained Childline counsellors know the devastating impact that the sharing of nude images can have on a young person.

Some young people told counsellors they felt embarrassed, fearful and self-loathing, while others had concerns about the long-term impact on their future prospects – and some revealed they’d turned to self-harm to cope with their situation.

One girl aged 14 who contacted Childline said: “I don’t know what to do because this Instagram account keeps posting pictures of me and they keep saying they’re going to follow my friends so they can see them too. It all started after I shared naked pics with someone who I thought was a friend but it turned out to be a fake account. I just feel so hopeless and I don’t know how to make it stop”.

If a child has had a nude image shared online it’s vital they that they know who to turn to for support and that Childline and the IWF’s Report Remove tool is available for them.

The tool which was first piloted in February 2020 can be found on the Childline website and can be used by any young person under the age of 18.As part of Report Remove, a young person has to verify their age and

Childline also ensures that all young people are safeguarded and supported throughout the whole process.

“I shared naked pics with someone who I thought was a friend but it turned out to be a fake account. I just feel so hopeless and I don’t know how to make it stop.”

Young people can expect the same level of confidentiality that they would from all their interactions with Childline; they do not need to provide their real name to Childline or IWF if they don’t want to.

In keeping with this child-centred approach, the tool has been developed in collaboration with law enforcement to make sure that children will not be unnecessarily visited by the police when they make a report.

Cormac Nolan, Service Head of Childline Online said: “The impact of having a nude image shared on the internet cannot be underestimated and for many young people, it can leave them feeling extremely worried and unsure on what to do or who to turn to for support.

“That’s why Childline and the IWF have developed Report Remove to provide young people a simple, safe tool that they can use to try and help them regain control over what is happening and get this content erased.

“At Childline we also want to remind all young people that if they discover that a nude image of themselves has been shared online that they do not need to deal with this situation alone and that our Childline counsellors are always here to listen and help provide support.”

A young person can make a report anonymously at any time of day and the IWF will then work to have the image removed if it breaks the law.

A “hash” (digital fingerprint) will be created from the image which will be provided to tech platforms to help ensure the image is not shared or uploaded online. This is the first time that the IWF has accepted images and videos directly, rather than only taking the URLs as they would usually do on their Hotline.

“Once those images are out there, it can be an incredibly lonely place for victims, and it can seem hopeless. It can also be frightening, not knowing who may have access to these images.”

Any young person who makes a report should also receive feedback on the outcome of their report in one working day from the IWF via Childline.

Additionally, Childline also has lots of information on how children and young people can keep themselves safe online as well as advice on what to do if they are feeling pressured to send a nude image and what they can do to help them cope if a situation of this nature has happened.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “When images of children and young people are taken and spread around the internet, they lose control. This is about giving them that control back.

“Once those images are out there, it can be an incredibly lonely place for victims, and it can seem hopeless. It can also be frightening, not knowing who may have access to these images.

“This tool is a world first. It will give young people the power, and the confidence, to reclaim these images and make sure they do not fall into the wrong hands online.”

For further support, children can contact a trained Childline counsellor on 0800 1111 or

via 1-2-1 chat on www.childline.org.uk

About the NSPCC

The NSPCC is the leading children’s charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. Using voluntary donations, which make up around 90 per cent of our funding, we help children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, we protect children at risk, and we find the best ways of preventing child abuse from ever happening. So when a child needs a helping hand, we’ll be there. When parents are finding it tough, we’ll help. When laws need to change, or governments need to do more, we won’t give up until things improve.

Our Childline service provides a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to, whatever their worry, whenever they need help. Children can contact Childline 365 days a year.

Our free NSPCC Helpline provides adults with a place they can get advice and support, share their concerns about
a child or get general information about child protection. Adults can contact the Helpline 365 days a year.

About the Internet Watch Foundation:

The Internet Watch Foundation is a leading tech charity working globally to eliminate child sexual abuse images and videos from the internet.

We help victims of child sexual abuse worldwide by identifying and removing online images and videos of their abuse. We search for child sexual abuse images and videos and offer a place for the public to report them anonymously. We then have them removed. We’re a not for profit organisation and are supported by the global internet industry and the European Commission.

For more information please visit www.iwf.org.uk

The IWF is part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, working with Childnet International and the South West Grid for Learning to promote the safe and responsible use of technology.

The IWF works globally to stop child sexual abuse imagery on the internet. If you ever stumble across a sexual image or video of someone you think is under 18, please report to the IWF. Reporting can be done anonymously and confidentially – we don’t need your details, just your help.

#AceNewsDesk report ……Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#childline, #children, #images, #iwf, #london

Ace Worldwide News Group 10:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Boris Johnson ( 3 ), England ( 34 ), Independence ( 6 ), London ( 320 ), Nicola Sturgeon ( 2 ), Referendum ( 12 ), Scotland ( 58 ), Wales ( 14 )

(LONDON) JUST IN: Allow all Scots the right to vote in future independence referendum, PM Boris Johnson has urged #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: The prime minister is reportedly drawing up plans to allow the 800,000 Scots living in England a right to vote, as well as the 50,000 living in Wales:

Boris Johnson is reportedly weighing up plans to allow 800,000 Scots living in England the right in any future Scottish independence referendum, the leader of the All for Unity party has told GB News.

Charlie Bayliss Senior Digital Producer

Published monday 21 June 2021 – 10:40 Last updated monday 21 June 2021 – 11:22

But Jamie Blackett said the government should go further and ensure all Scots, whether living in the UK or abroad, should be given the right to vote.

He said: “I don’t think it’s inevitable at all there will be another referendum. Nicola Sturgeon had 31% of the electorate voting for her on May 6 and that to my mind is not a mandate.

“The unfortunate thing is that the unionist vote was split, which allow the SNP to win the majority of the seats.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives to attend First Minister’s Questions at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh. Picture date: Thursday June 10, 2021.Russell Cheyne

He added: “I do think we need to clarify matters. We cannot have in Scotland this toxic neveredum which is dividing communities, dividing families, and holding back the economy.

“We’ve urged the government to pass a Canada-style clarity act. One of the sections of that would be to sort out the franchise, not just to allow 800,000 Scots living elsewhere in the UK, but to allow all Scots to vote. Its part of the Scottish condition to go off and seek your fortune, before returning to Scotland.

“My own children are in London but they have ever intention to come back to live in Scotland.

“It’s manifestly unfair that just those Scots living in Scotland are given a vote. Goerge Galloway always points out that the captain of Lithuania would have a vote, but the captain of Scotland would not be able to as he’s playing in England.”

The Times is also reporting that Ruth Davidson could be ready for a return to frontline politics – being offered a ministerial role co-ordinating policy to keep the union together.

Last week former prime minister Gordon Brown warned of 50 years of conflict between England and Scotland if the country was partitioned.

Do you think all Scots should be allowed to vote in any independence referendum? ………….Or should it be reserved for just those living north of the English border? ……………Let us know what you think in the comments section:

#AceNewsDesk report ……Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#boris-johnson, #england, #independence, #london, #nicola-sturgeon, #referendum, #scotland, #wales

Ace Worldwide News Group 09:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), Bushehr ( 4 ), Iran ( 140 ), Nuclear power plant ( 4 ), Tehran ( 94 )

(TEHRAN) JUST IN: Iran’s sole nuclear power plant has undergone an unexplained temporary emergency shutdown, state TV reported on Sunday #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – June.22: An official from the state electric company Tavanir, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last “for three to four days.”

TEHRAN: Iran’s sole nuclear power plant undergoes emergency shutdown and which sits near active fault lines and was built to withstand powerful quakes, has been periodically shaken by temblors according to state TV

Associated Press

Fox News Flash top headlines for June 20

Without elaborating, he said that power outages could result. This is the first time Iran has reported an emergency shutdown of the plant in the southern port city of Bushehr. It went online in 2011 with help from Russia. Iran is required to send spent fuel rods from the reactor back to Russia as a nuclear nonproliferation measure.

Earlier on Sunday, Tavanir released a statement saying that the nuclear plant was being repaired, without offering further details. It said the repair work would take until Friday.

In March, nuclear official Mahmoud Jafari said the plant could stop working since Iran cannot procure parts and equipment for it from Russia due to banking sanctions imposed by the U.S. in 2018.

Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA acknowledged being aware of reports about the plant, but declined to comment.

Construction on Bushehr, on the coast of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, began under Iran’s shah in the mid-1970s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly targeted in the Iran-Iraq war. Russia later completed construction of the facility.

The plant, which sits near active fault lines and was built to withstand powerful quakes, has been periodically shaken by temblors. There have been no significant earthquakes reported in the area in recent days.

A security guard in front of a domed structure with several attached buildings. — The Bushehr nuclear reactor, located 1,200 km south of Iran’s capital Tehran, began operating in 2011. (Reuters: Raheb Homavandi)

Iran’s sole nuclear power plant has undergone an unexplained temporary emergency shutdown.

An official from state electric company Tavanir, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show on Sunday that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last “for three to four days”.

Without elaborating, he said that power outages could result.

This is the first time Iran has reported an emergency shutdown of the plant, located in the southern port city of Bushehr.

It went online in 2011 with help from Russia.

Iran is required to send spent fuel rods from the reactor back to Russia as a nuclear non-proliferation measure.

Earlier on Sunday, Tavanir released a statement saying the nuclear plant was being repaired, without offering further details. It said the repair work would take until Friday.

In March, nuclear official Mahmoud Jafari said the plant could stop working since Iran cannot procure parts and equipment for it from Russia due to banking sanctions imposed by the US in 2018.

The Bushehr plant is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA did not immediately respond to request for comment on the reported shutdown.

The interior of an industrial building with yellow catwalks above and banks of orange machinery. — Iran’s electricity company said the power plant was being repaired.(Reuter: Mehr News Agency/Majid Asgaripour)

Construction of the reactor, on the coast of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, began under Iran’s shah in the mid-1970s.

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly targeted in the Iran-Iraq war. Russia later completed construction of the facility.

The plant, which sits near active fault lines and was built to withstand powerful quakes, has been periodically shaken by temblors.

There have been no significant earthquakes reported in the area in recent days.

Progress made on Iran nuclear agreement

Meanwhile, top diplomats said on Sunday that further progress had been made at talks between Iran and global powers to try to restore a landmark 2015 agreement abandoned by the Trump administration to contain Iranian nuclear development.

The agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, abolished international economic sanctions on Iran.

In return, Iran would be subjected to unannounced inspections of its nuclear facilities, but allowed to enrich uranium to a maximum of 3.67 per cent for its power reactors.Iran is increasing uranium enrichment Experts say Iran’s decision to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent is “risky and dangerous”

However, former US president Donald Trump ripped up the deal in May 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.

The diplomats on Sunday said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions on renewing the agreement.

It was the first official meeting since Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election last week.

Some diplomats expressed concern that Iran’s election of Mr Raisi could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement.

Enrique Mora, the European Union official who chaired the final meeting of the sixth round of talks between Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and Iran, told reporters that “we are closer to a deal, but we are not still there”.

“We have made progress on a number of technical issues,” Mora added.

“We have now more clarity on technical documents — all of them quite complex — and that clarity allows us to have also a great idea of what the political problems are.”

He did not elaborate.

Top Russian representative, Mikhail Ulyanov, said he expected the diplomats to return for the final round of talks in Vienna in about 10 days, and that they could finalise negotiations by mid-July.

AP/Fox News/ IAEA/ State TV/Reuters/

#AceNewsDesk report ……Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#bushehr, #iran, #nuclear-power-plant, #tehran

Ace Worldwide News Group 08:00 on 22/06/2021
Tags: #AceNewsDesk ( 3,451 ), #AceNewsReport ( 3,426 ), #Claudette ( 2 ), Alabama ( 5 ), tropical storm

(ALABAMA, Ga.) Tropical Storm #Claudette Report: At least 13-people have been killed and many injured including 8-children in a multi-vehicle-crash due to effects of the storm #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Jun.22: The children who died Saturday were in a van for a youth home for abused or neglected children. The vehicle erupted in flames in the wreck along a wet Interstate 65 about 35 miles south of Montgomery. Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock said vehicles likely hydroplaned.

ALABAMA: TROPICAL STORM #Claudette was regaining strength early Monday and expected to return to tropical storm status as it neared the coast of the Carolinas just days after 13 people died — including eight children in a multi-vehicle crash — due to the effects of the storm.

Fox News

Claudette hits Gulf Coast with heavy rain, flooding

The crash also claimed the lives of two other people who were in a separate vehicle. Garlock identified them as 29-year-old Cody Fox and his 9-month-old daughter, Ariana; both of Marion County, Tennessee.

Multiple people were also injured.

Additionally, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were also killed Saturday when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Makayla Ross, a 23-year-old Fort Payne woman, died Saturday after her car ran off the road into a swollen creek, DeKalb County Deputy Coroner Chris Thacker told WHNT-TV.

A search was also underway for one man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham, WBRC-TV reported. Crews were using boats to search Pebble Creek.

Early Monday, Claudette had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph), the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. The depression was located 55 miles (90 kilometers) south-southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina, and moving east-northeast at 20 mph (31 kph), forecasters said.

The depression was forecast to become a tropical storm sometime Monday morning over eastern North Carolina. Claudette is then on track to move into the Atlantic Ocean, then travel near or south of Nova Scotia on Tuesday.

Rainfall totals around 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 centimeters) are forecast for parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. Tornadoes were also possible Monday morning across the coastal Carolinas.

A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet.

The van in Saturday’s crash was carrying children ages 4 to 17 who belonged to the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a youth home operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association.

Michael Smith, the youth ranch’s CEO, said the van was heading back to the ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, after a week at the beach in Gulf Shores. Candice Gulley, the ranch director, was the van’s only survivor — pulled from the flames by a bystander.

“Words cannot explain what I saw,” Smith said of the accident site, which he visited Saturday. He had returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the crash when it happened.

Gulley remained hospitalized Sunday in Montgomery in serious but stable condition. Two of the dead in the van were Gulley’s children, ages 4 and 16. Four others were ranch residents and two were guests, Smith said.

Garlock said the location of the wreck is “notorious” for hydroplaning, as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek. Traffic on that stretch of I-65 is usually filled with vacationers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was sending 10 investigators to the area Sunday to investigate the crash.

Meanwhile, it seemed to be business as usual along North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Sunday ahead of Claudette’s arrival.

At Stack ’em High in Kill Devil Hills, a restaurant that specializes in pancakes, co-owner Dawn Kiousis said Sunday morning restaurant service was busy.

“You keep your eye on the weather and you prepare as much stuff in advance as you can,” she said. “Just know she’s gonna win. Mother Nature is going to do what she’s going to do, so you just prepare.”

Twelve dead in Alabama as massive storm sweeps southern US sparking tornadoes, floods

Posted Yesterday at 8:23pm, updated Yesterday at 10:18pm

Play Video. Duration: 32 seconds — The storm destroyed homes, triggered tornadoes and caused fatal car crashes.

Tropical Depression Claudette claimed 12 lives in Alabama as the storm swept across the south-eastern US, causing flash flooding and spurring tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.

Ten people, including nine children, were killed on Saturday in a 15-vehicle crash about 55 kilometres south of Montgomery on Interstate 65, according to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.

He said the vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads, with eight children, aged 4 to 17, killed in a van belonging to a youth ranch operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association for abused or neglected children.

A man and a nine-month-old baby died in a separate vehicle. Multiple people were also injured.

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a three-year-old boy were killed when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits on Saturday.

The deaths occurred as drenching rains pelted northern Alabama and Georgia. As much as 30 centimetres of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Motorists navigate a flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, Louisiana — Heavy rain caused flash flooding affecting roads.(AP: Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate)

Flash flood watches were posted on Sunday for northern Georgia, most of South Carolina, the North Carolina coast and parts of south-east Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The eight girls killed in the van were returning to a youth ranch from a week at the beach in Gulf Shores, youth ranches CEO Michael Smith told The Associated Press.

He said the director of the Tallapoosa County ranch survived the crash and was hospitalised in Montgomery. At least one of the dead was a child of the director.

A ute navigates a flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, Louisiana — Storm and flood warnings were issued for parts of southern United States.(AP: Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate)

“This is the worst tragedy I’ve been a part of in my life,” Mr Smith said.

“Words cannot explain what I saw.

“We love these girls like they’re our own children.”

Mr Garlock said the location of the wreck is “notorious” for hydroplaning, as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek.

Traffic on that stretch of road is usually filled with holidaymakers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.

Mobile home park ‘leveled’, 50 homes damaged or destroyed

A flooded neighborhood is seen after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through — Forecasters believe the storm system could still dump more rain.(AP: Gerald Herbert)

Shortly after the storm made landfall southwest of New Orleans, a suspected tornado spurred by the storm demolished or badly damaged at least 50 homes in a small town in Alabama, just north of the Florida border.

Sheriff Heath Jackson in Escambia County said it “pretty much levelled” a mobile home park, toppled trees onto houses and ripped the roof off of a high school gym.

Most of the damage was done in or near the towns of Brewton and East Brewton, about 77 kilometres north of Pensacola, Florida.

“It kind of affected everybody,” Mr Jackson said.

Debris covering the street in East Brewton, Alabama — Destruction was reported in Brewton and East Brewton, Alabama, just north of the Florida border.(AP: Alicia Jossey)

“But with those mobile homes being built so close together it can take a toll on them a lot more than it can on houses that are spread apart.”

Tornadoes were also reported in southwest Georgia.

Damage from the storm was also felt in north Florida, where winds — in some cases reaching 137 kph — caused an 18-wheeler truck to flip on its side.

The storm also dumped flooding rains north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, inundating streets and homes.

Later, the storm drenched the Florida Panhandle and, well inland, a broad expanse of Alabama.

Forecasters said the system could still dump up to 20 centimetres of rain in some parts of the region.

The centre of Claudette was located about 20 km east-northeast of Atlanta on Sunday morning. It was moving east-northeast at 28 kph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters predicted Claudette would strengthen back to tropical storm status on Monday over eastern North Carolina before heading out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

More than 20 people were rescued on Saturday by boat due to flooding in Northport, Alabama, WVUA-TV reported.

The Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency tweeted that local Red Cross volunteers were on hand to help those who were affected. A shelter was opened in Northport.

AP/ABC/Fox News/

#AceNewsDesk report ……Published: Jun.22: 2021:

#alabama, #tropical-storm