Ace Worldwide News Group 10:00 on 04/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Aberdeen, climate-change ( 39 ), Gas ( 18 ), Oil ( 41 ), oilfield, Scotland ( 89 )

(SCOTLAND) Cambo Oilfield Report: Business leaders have warned that thousands of oil and gas jobs could be at risk in the UK after Shell pulled out #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.04: Aberdeen’s Chamber of Commerce said a “premature” end to domestic production could see some areas suffer the fate of mining communities in the 1980s.

#AceDailyNews Cambo Oilfield Report: Jobs warning as Shell pulls out of oil field development Environmentalists say new fossil fuel projects like Cambo are incompatible with action on climate change according to BBC Business says Cambo’s majority stakeholder said it was “disappointed” by Shell’s decision.

Getty Images: Industry leaders argue oil and gas extraction cannot be scaled back too quickly

Siccar Point Energy said it would continue talks with the UK government about developing the oil field, located west of Shetland.

Shell, which has faced widespread criticism over its 30% stake in Cambo, said it now believed the economic case for investment was “not strong enough”.

Greenpeace welcomed the announcement, describing it as the “death blow” for the plans.

But industry body Oil and Gas UK insisted developments such as Cambo were needed during the transition to sustainable energy.

External relations director Jenny Stanning said: “This is a commercial decision between partners but doesn’t change the facts that the UK will continue to need new oil and gas projects if we are to protect security of supply, avoid increasing reliance on imports and support jobs.”

It is too early to write the obituary of the North Sea oil and gas industry, despite claims by some environmental campaigners that Shell’s decision marks the beginning of the end.

That’s because, whatever Shell says in public, this is about reputational cost not conventional economics.

Battling environmentalists and the Scottish government for the right to drill for oil is not a good look for a company that claims to be transitioning away from fossil fuels.

But the Cambo oilfield is reckoned to hold hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, each worth some $70 at current prices, and there are lots of less high-profile companies who would be willing to suffer some bad publicity for a cut of that prize.

So, the real question Shell’s decision raises is whether the UK government is willing to put its net-zero ambitions ahead of the huge tax revenues the project could deliver and deny a licence to develop the oilfield.

The chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce called for a “reasoned debate” about oil and gas extraction, which he said directly supported more than 120,000 UK jobs.

Russell Borthwick said there was enormous potential for the renewable energy sector in the region but he warned against a “knee jerk” reaction to climate change.

He told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “If we get this wrong, all of those people and organisations demanding a premature end to domestic oil and gas production might want to be able to reflect back to their role in scripting a repeat of what happened to our mining communities in the 1980s.”

The fallout from the 1984/85 miners strike and the long term decline of UK coal mining left many communities facing high unemployment and other problems that were still being felt decades later.

Businessman Sir Ian Wood chairs Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone, a not-for-profit company set up to support the shift to renewable energy. He said: “We must not create an adverse investment environment at this crucial moment in our energy transition journey.

“The future prosperity of our region and the country’s ability to meet net zero, depends on it.”

The Cambo oil field

Located in the North Atlantic, about 125km (75 miles) west of the Shetland islands.
Contains an estimated 800 million barrels of oil.
The exploration licence dates back to 2001, but UK government must approve drilling – which could start as early as 2022.
Major stakeholder is Siccar Point Energy, with a 70% stake, backed by private equity firm investors.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie welcomed Shell’s announcement and said it made it less likely Cambo would go ahead in the “near term”.

“It’s absurd to suggest that our transition to a zero carbon economy depends on drilling for ever more oil and gas,” he said.

He said Scotland had a quarter of Europe’s wind energy potential, and that investment should be focused on renewables instead.

“We could be exporting renewable resources and make that the backbone of Scotland’s economy,” he told the BBC.

He continued: “The idea of keeping global warming below 2 degrees and 1.5 degrees if we possibly can – this is not optional.

“This is not a normal political choice. This is mission critical for our survival.

“It is humanity’s only survival strategy and we need to invest now in the transition that has to be fair, but it has to be fast.”

Activists at the COP26 summit called for the Cambo development to be blocked

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, now in a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens, has recently signalled her opposition to Cambo.

Having previously stopped short of opposing it outright, she said last month it should “not get the green light”.

“The presumption would be that Cambo could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment,” she told MSPs.

The UK government, which makes the final decision on whether to allow drilling, insists an environmental impact assessment will be carried out but appears far more supportive: Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has said the new field should “100%” get the go-ahead.

#AceNewsDesk report ………….Published: Dec.04: 2021:

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#aberdeen, #climate-change, #gas, #oil, #oilfield, #scotland

Ace Worldwide News Group 09:00 on 04/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Court ( 189 ), GRT MANCHESTER ( 72 ), jailed ( 121 ), Oldham ( 4 )

( GRT MANCHESTER) Minshull Crown Court Report: Two men have been jailed for a total of 35 years after pleading guilty to drugs and weapons offences #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.04: The verdict follows a lengthy investigation by GMPs Challenger team who work to tackle serious and organised crime in Greater Manchester.

#AceDailyNews Court Report: Two men jailed for their part in a £61m ‘Industrial Scale’ Oldham drug conspiracy…….

Ashley Dissington, (15/8/86), of Helvelyn Drive, Middleton, was sentenced to 20 years at Minshull Street Crown Court this afternoon (2nd December 2021) for being knowingly concerned in the importation of heroin & cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin & cocaine and possession of a blade in a public place.

Co-conspirator Connor Jackson Westwood, (14/9/96), of Bamford Street, Royton, was sentenced to 15 years at an earlier sentencing date (6^thOctober 2021) for being knowingly concerned in the importation of heroin & cocaine and possession of a prohibited weapon.

During the trial, the court heard how on the 1^st October 2020, a package from Belgium was intercepted by the UK Border Force. Once opened, the package was found to contain a total of 15kg of Class A drugs, namely 6kgs of cocaine and 9kgs of diamorphine, all equalling an estimated street value of around £1.5 million.

The seized items were handed over to police and detectives then made the decision to let the package continue to its intended destination at Wheatfield Industrial Estate in Royton, Oldham, with the contents removed and a decoy put in place of the drugs.

On the 6^th October 2020, officers surveilled the industrial estate in anticipation of the packages arrival and it was then that Dissington arrived at the scene in his car, parking on a nearby street with Jackson-Westwood arriving by foot shortly after.

Jackson-Westwood was observed collecting the parcel before leaving the industrial estate and walking in the opposite direction of the parked car.

Dissington’s sentence today also incorporates separate drug and money laundering offences. During the course of their investigation, detectives from Oldham Challenger identified that Dissington had also been the user of the ‘EncroChat’ platform, which forms part of the National Crime Agency led ‘Operation Venetic’. He was further interviewed for these additional offences in June 2021.

Dissington then drove his vehicle away from the area in what prosecutor David James described as a ‘route clearly adopted as an anti-surveillance technique’.

Jackson-Westwood was picked up by Dissington at a ‘pre-arranged pick up point’ shortly after.

The two travelled to Royton Park before proceeding to open the parcel while still in the car, removing the delivery labels using a craft knife.

It was then that police arrived and arrested the pair.

Following a search of Jackson-Westwood’s home address in Royton, a number of cellophane bags containing cocaine and digital weighing scales were found in his bedroom. A stun gun was also found in a kitchen cupboard, while goods including a £15,000 watch were also seized from the address.

While in custody, both defendants denied all knowledge of the drugs before later pleading guilty to their involvement.

Police identified a further 16 deliveries consisting of 40 packages all being delivered from the same Belgium mail drop location to the Oldham industrial estate’s storage unit within a three month period from June to October 2020 which totalled 578.5kgs.

Judge John Potter said that ‘on the reasonable interface’ it was likely that each contained a similar amount, type and purity of drugs and would be worth a wholesale value of up to £19.5m and a street value of up to £61.5m. He described the importation of drugs to have been ‘on an industrial scale’.

Dissington was found to have been using the alias ‘Dizzierascal’ while messaging other OCG members using encrypted mobile devices to prevent police from detecting their conversations.

He was found to be involved in dealings of Class A drugs with a potential maximum street value of £725,000 and was responsible for the collection, storing and passing of money in excess of £100,000.

Detective Sergeant Alex Brown, of GMPs Oldham Challenger Team, said: “Today’s sentencing is a fantastic result not only for the Operation Challenger team and ongoing Operation Venetic investigations but also for our local communities who are effected by the drug trade.

“We work tirelessly to make sure these people are brought to justice and will continue to do so. I would urge any members of the public with information on the supply of drugs in their local area to please get in touch with police as we need your help to uncover those involved in this type of crime”.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, or use our Live Chat service on our website www.gmp.police.uk

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

#AceNewsDesk report …………..Published: Dec.04: 2021:

#court, #grt-manchester, #jailed, #oldham

Ace Worldwide News Group 08:00 on 04/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), #bribery ( 5 ), DOJ ( 157 ), Laundering ( 11 ), New York ( 124 ), Panamanian ( 5 )

(NEW YORK) Justice Dept Court Report: Panamanian Intermediary Pleads Guilty in Connection with International Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.04: The FBI’s International Corruption Unit in New York is investigating this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Luis Martinelli Linares.

#AceDailyNews DOJ Court Report: Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares (Luis Martinelli Linares), 39, a citizen of Panama and Italy, pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of New York before U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie for laundering $28 million in connection with a massive bribery and money laundering scheme involving Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate.

According to court documents, the scheme involved the payment of more than $700 million in bribes to government officials, public servants, political parties, and others in Panama and other countries around the world to obtain and retain business for the company. On Dec. 21, 2016, Odebrecht pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to a criminal information charging it with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for its involvement in the bribery and money laundering scheme.

Luis Martinelli Linares admitted that he agreed with his brother, Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, and others to establish offshore bank accounts in the names of shell companies to receive and disguise over $28 million in bribe proceeds from Odebrecht for the benefit of his close relative, a high-ranking public official in Panama. To advance the scheme, Luis Martinelli Linares agreed with others to cause the wiring of the Odebrecht bribe funds into and out of the United States, and used some of the proceeds of the scheme to purchase a yacht and a condominium in the United States.

Luis Martinelli Linares pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He also agreed to a forfeiture amount of approximately $18.9 million. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Judge Dearie will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares was arrested, along with his brother Luis Martinelli Linares, at el Aeropuerto Internacional la Aurora in Guatemala on July 6, 2020, pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States as they were attempting to depart Guatemala on a private plane. The defendants were charged on Feb. 4, 2021, in a five-count indictment in connection with this bribery and money laundering scheme. The United States continues its efforts to have Ricardo Martinelli Linares returned to the United States to face justice.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, and Acting Assistant Director Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

Trial Attorney Michael Culhane Harper of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Barbara Levy and Michael Redmann of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alixandra E. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell of U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York’s Civil Division is handling forfeiture matters.

The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative in MLARS was formed to prosecute money launderers and forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered asset to benefit the people harmed by the corruption and abuse of office. Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to kleptocracy@usdoj.gov.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

#AceNewsDesk report ……………Published: Dec.04: 2021:

#bribery, #doj, #laundering, #new-york, #panamanian

Ace Worldwide News Group 16:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Court ( 189 ), Coventry ( 12 ), guilty ( 32 ), sentenced ( 75 )

(COVENTRY) Crown Court Report: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Stepmother jailed for minimum 29 years and father for 21 years over boy’s killing #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: Arthur’s death on 17 June last year, came after a campaign of cruelty inflicted by both Tustin and Hughes during which Arthur was forced to stand for hours on end and suffered repeated assaults.Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, aged six..

#AceDailyNews Crown Court Full Report: The stepmother of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 29 years for starving, poisoning and then murdering the six-year-old boy….

COURT CASE NOTES:

Stepmother Emma Tustin has today (Wednesday 2 December) been convicted of the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who was just six years old when he died from a severe blow to his head.

His father Thomas Hughes has been convicted of his manslaughter.

On 16 June 2020, officers were called to Tustin’s home in Cranmore Road, Shirley, where Arthur was unconscious on the floor. Paramedics tended to him having arrived to find a neighbour performing CPR on the six-year-old.

Arthur had bruising to his head and body, appeared under-weight and his gums were bleeding. He was taken to hospital but sadly despite the best efforts of medical staff he died at 1am the following morning.

The accounts given by Hughes and his partner Tustin, differed but revolved around Arthur’s behaviour being poor and him banging his own head off the floor.

But due to the nature of Arthur’s injuries and the accounts given by Tustin and Hughes, they were arrested on suspicion of murder.

We were able to painstakingly piece together what had happened with investigators trawling through hours of CCTV from inside the home in Cranmore Road.

We also studied hundreds of videos, audio files and photos found on Tustin’s and Hughes’ mobile phones, and analysed thousands of messages they sent each other.

And the compelling evidence they revealed clearly illustrated the systematic cruelty inflicted on Arthur by both Tustin and Hughes.

We worked painstakingly with medical experts from various areas of clinical medicine and pathology to show that the six-year-old’s death had been caused by a head trauma inflicted on him by an adult.

And that the most likely way that happened was by him being vigorously shaken and his head banged repeatedly against a hard surface.Emma Tustin

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Laura Harrison, said:

This has been a truly heartbreaking case and has deeply affected everyone who has been involved in it.

“An innocent boy was subjected to a campaign of cruelty by the very people who were meant to be loving and protecting him.

“Despite the lies they told, we carefully built a case against the two of them. We were able to seize their phones and found the messages they exchanged which showed their anger towards Arthur.

“As part of our investigations we were able to access their home where we found a CCTV camera set up in their living room. And the footage from that helped us build up a picture of the grim reality of Arthur’s life inside that house.”

Campaign of cruelty

The court was shown footage of Arthur spending hours at a time forcibly standing in isolation and he would be punished for unauthorised movement including attempts to sit down, to ease his discomfort.

And they heard many examples of audio recordings, where Arthur is being sworn at, insulted, and subjected to numerous threats of violence.

Sadly we found no evidence of a space in the house in Cranmore Road that Arthur could have called his own. Officers found his duvet shoved in a cupboard under the stairs, because he was made to sleep on the floor in the living room each night.

Tustin alone had more than 200 audio recordings of Arthur on her phone. In many he can be heard asking to go and see other members of his family. In others he can be heard begging for help; saying that he’s not being fed and he needs food and a drink.

After Arthur’s death a neighbour told us that she’d heard Tustin shouting ‘face the wall’. On another occasion Hughes told her that if she heard someone saying ‘don’t kill me’ she should ignore it, assuring her that he wasn’t hurting Arthur.

We took evidence from another witness who commented that when she’d seen Arthur in February he’d seemed healthy, but by June he appeared physically weak, struggling to stand and he had difficulty in climbing stairs.

Another described the child as ‘broken’.

We also found a string of furious text messages between Tustin and Hughes on the day before Arthur was fatally injured. Then evidence of a short phone call, before another text from Hughes to Tustin’s saying: “Just end him”.Thomas Hughes

Det Insp Harrison said: “It’s not clear why Tustin and Hughes started to make Arthur’s place in his family home so truly awful and why they caused him such harm and suffering – but that harm and suffering was sustained and escalated over time.

“Nor is it clear why the couple installed a CCTV camera in their own living room, but sadly that footage has proved invaluable in demonstrating some of the hardships, emotional abuse and physical violence Arthur endured behind closed doors.”

Fatal blow

On the day Arthur was fatally injured Hughes had left the house at just after 1pm, leaving his son alone with Tustin. So it is only she who will ever know exactly how Arthur suffered the blow that killed him.

But we used CCTV, as well as the calls and messages the couple exchanged, to provide the court with a compelling case that she had inflicted that injury and then failed to call an ambulance for 12 minutes.

During those 12 minutes, Tustin is seen to carry Arthur into the living room, into the kitchen and back into the living room, before propping him up on the sofa

Hughes then arrives back home, and the pair try to give Arthur a drink and some children’s paracetamol medicine, before 999 is finally called.

Det Insp Harrison said: “We believe that both Tustin and then Hughes, understood how seriously Arthur was injured. Only the pair of them can explain why it took so long for an ambulance to be called, but we’d suggest it was the final act of cruelty they inflicted on Arthur.”

Medical evidence

Hospital tests revealed Arthur had abnormally high salt-levels and he was seen to have bruising in many areas uncommon for accidental bruising in a child.

A post mortem later revealed that Arthur had over 100 marks and bruises on his head, body and limbs including bruising of different ages.

A number of medical experts told the court that they did not believe the injuries Arthur had could have been self-inflicted; that a child of six simply could not have generated enough force to have caused the fatal injury to his own head.

A specialist kidney consultant, said that for Arthur to have had such high levels of salt in his system could only be explained by one of two situations.

Either Arthur had ingested at least six and half tablespoons of salt on the day he was fatally injured; and the expert couldn’t see how a child would have done this, other than if he was deliberately force-fed a mix of salt and water by an adult.

Or that Arthur had repeatedly been poisoned with heavily contaminated food and/or water over a longer period of time.

The conviction

The jury at Coventry Crown Court today found Emma Tustin, aged 32, of Cranmore Road, Solihull guilty of the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Thomas Hughes aged 29, of Stroud Road, Solihull, guilty of manslaughter.

The couple also faced four charges of cruelty to a child.

On the opening day of the trial on 5 October Tustin pleaded guilty to one of those charges – wilfully ill-treating Arthur on multiple occasions by forced standing, isolation and intimidation.

In the final days of the trial Tustin admitted a second charge of child cruelty, namely assaulting Arthur on multiple occasions.

Today she was convicted of two further charges of cruelty by withholding food and drink and by administering salt.

Hughes was also convicted on two counts of cruelty, by forced standing, isolation and intimidation, and also by assaulting Arthur. Hughes was cleared of murder, cruelty by withholding food and drink and by administering salt.

#AceNewsDesk report ………..Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#court, #coventry, #guilty, #sentenced

Ace Worldwide News Group 15:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), #bribery ( 5 ), Contracts ( 3 ), DOJ ( 157 ), guilty ( 32 ), Puerto Rico ( 25 ), Washington ( 494 )

(WASHINGTON) Justice Dept Court Report: Puerto Rico Mayor Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes in Exchange for Millions in Municipal Contracts #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico, and Acting Assistant Director Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

#AceDailyNews DOJ Court Report: Contractor Arrested for Paying Bribes: A mayor pleaded guilty yesterday in Puerto Rico to engaging in a bribery scheme in which he received cash payments in exchange for awarding municipal contracts to a particular company (Company A). Relatedly, a Puerto Rico contractor was arrested today for allegedly paying bribes and kickbacks to the mayor.

Felix Delgado-Montalvo, 40, was the mayor of and highest-ranking government official in the municipality of Cataño. Delgado-Montalvo resigned his position as mayor on Tuesday. According to court documents, Delgado-Montalvo unjustly enriched himself by accepting bribes, including cash payments from a particular person, whose business, Company A, would then benefit by being rewarded municipal contracts, including a contract worth nearly $50,000. As part of his plea agreement, Delgado-Montalvo agreed to forfeit $105,820 as proceeds of his illegal conduct.

Relatedly, Mario Villegas-Vargas, 42, of Gurabo, who owned an asphalt and paving company in Puerto Rico, was indicted for allegedly paying kickbacks and bribes to Delgado-Montalvo in exchange for valuable municipal contracts. According to the indictment, beginning in or around June 2017, Villegas-Vargas paid kickbacks and bribes in exchange for Delgado-Montalvo exerting his influence on municipal officials in Cataño, resulting in Villegas-Vargas’s business receiving over $9.9 million in municipal contracts.

Delgado-Montalvo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Chief Judge Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach for the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Villegas-Vargas is charged with conspiracy to pay bribes, bribery, and use of an interstate facility in aid of racketeering. If convicted of all counts, Villegas-Vargas faces a maximum total penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s San Juan Field Office.

The cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott H. Anderson and Nicholas W. Cannon of U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and Villegas-Vargas is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

#AceNewsDesk report ……………..Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#bribery, #contracts, #doj, #guilty, #puerto-rico, #washington

Ace Worldwide News Group 14:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), DOJ ( 157 ), Houston ( 14 ), Safe Water Act, Washington ( 494 )

(WASHINGTON) Justice Dept Court Report: Barge Company Will Pay Over $15 Million for Injuries to Natural Resources Resulting from Oil Spill in Houston Ship Channel #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: The United States and Texas concurrently filed a civil complaint along with a proposed consent decree. The complaint seeks money damages and costs under the Oil Pollution Act for injuries to natural resources resulting from Kirby’s March 2014 discharge of approximately 4,000 barrels (168,000 gallons) of oil from one of its barges into the Houston Ship Channel at the Texas City “Y” crossing. The complaint alleges that the spill resulted from a collision that occurred while a Kirby towboat, the Miss Susan, attempted to push two 300-foot-long oil barges across the Houston Ship Channel in front of the oncoming M/V Summer Wind, a 585-foot-long deep-draft bulk cargo ship that was already underway in the Channel.

#AceDailyNews DOJ Court Report: Safe Water Act: Houston, Texas-based Kirby Inland Marine LP has agreed to pay $15.3 million in damages and assessment costs under the Oil Pollution Act to resolve federal and state claims for injuries to natural resources resulting from an oil spill from a Kirby barge, after a collision Kirby caused.

The oil flowed from the Houston Ship Channel into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, polluting waters and washing onshore from the collision site down to Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi. The oil spill caused significant impacts and injuries to the Texas coastline including the wildlife refuge on Matagorda Island, and to aquatic and terrestrial habitats, as well as to dolphins and migratory birds. The oil spill also forced the closure of the Houston Ship Channel and disrupted recreational uses of the Texas coastline, resulting in lost recreational opportunities from Galveston-area beaches to beaches as far south as Padre Island National Seashore. Kirby, the Coast Guard, and the State were involved in extensive response and cleanup efforts, and Kirby has cooperated in the assessment of injuries to natural resources.

“All oil transporters must take care to operate safely and prevent spills into our nation’s waters,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This case illustrates that the stakes are high, the harms are serious, and the United States and its state partners will diligently pursue and secure compensation for injuries to natural resources resulting from oil spills.”

“We are pleased to join our co-trustees to restore vital habitats, dolphins, birds and recreational areas injured by this oil spill,” said Director Nicole LeBoeuf of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Ocean Service. “Local communities and economies depend on resilient coastal ecosystems, and we look forward to working with the public on projects to restore them.”

“The Texas City Y oil spill impacted shoreline and marsh habitat on Matagorda Island, which is part of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge,” said Amy Lueders, the Service’s Southwest Regional Director. “This settlement will provide for restoration of these injured resources as well as helping to recover shorebirds and other birds and their habitats impacted by the oil and cleanup activities.”

Under the proposed consent decree, Kirby will pay $15.3 million as natural resource damages for the spill, which the federal and State trustees will jointly use to plan, design and perform projects to restore or ameliorate the impacts to dolphins and other aquatic life, birds, beaches, marshes, and recreational uses along the Texas coast. Kirby also has been paying the federal and State trustees for their assessment work and will reimburse the last remaining unpaid costs, as required under the Oil Pollution Act.

Today’s action was filed by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Texas Attorney General on behalf of the federal and State trustees for natural resources. The designated federal trustees for the natural resources impacted by Kirby’s oil spill are the U.S. Department of Commerce through the NOAA and the U.S. Department of the Interior through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. The designated State trustees are the Texas General Land Office, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The federal and State trustees have worked together to perform their injury assessment work and are engaged in joint restoration planning efforts.

In a related Clean Water Act enforcement action in 2016, the United States on behalf of the Coast Guard secured a settlement with Kirby for $4.9 million in civil penalties and injunctive relief measures to improve the company’s operations to help prevent future spills.

The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court review and approval. A copy of the consent decree is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.

#AceNewsDesk report ……………Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#doj, #houston, #safe-water-act, #washington

Ace Worldwide News Group 13:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), #Russia ( 275 ), Belarus ( 23 ), EU ( 94 ), Oil ( 41 ), pipeline ( 7 )

(BELARUS) Statement Report: Has announced “unscheduled repairs” are needed on a branch of the ‘Friendship’ pipeline carrying oil supplies from Russia through the country to a number of EU states, insisting that maintenance work will take three days #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: In a statement issued on Wednesday, Russian energy export giant Transneft said supplies could face short-term disruption: Spokesman Igor Demin told journalists he had been informed the impromptu repair work should be finished by the weekend. The pipeline connects oil fields in Central Russia to consumers in Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Germany.

#AceDailyNews says Belarus announces ‘temporary’ closure of oil pipeline to EU according to RT News Report:

17 Nov, 2021 10:42 / Updated 15 days ago

The Belarusian operator, Gomeltransneft Druzhba, reportedly began work on Tuesday evening, with supplies set to decrease. However, officials say, monthly export volumes shouldn’t be affected, and Demin insisted Transneft hopes to ensure its delivery quotas are met.

Putin warns Belarus of major fallout if it cuts off gas to EU

The news comes just days after Belarus’ embattled leader, Alexander Lukashenko, warned that his country could cut off gas flowing to Central and Western Europe in response to a worsening row over illegal migration on the border with Poland.

Thousands of refugees have set up camps along the frontier, with the EU accusing Minsk of putting on flights from troubled nations like Syria and Iraq, and encouraging desperate people to try to cross over in retribution for sanctions levied against its government. Belarus denies the claims, insisting that it is simply no longer able to prevent migrants reaching the border.

Lukashenko said last week that, when considering potential future sanctions, European leaders should remember that he could “cut off”energy supplies through the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which delivers gas from Siberia to Germany and other EU states.

The suggestion that the country could begin restricting Russian gas exports prompted criticism on Saturday from President Vladimir Putin, who said that “nothing good will come” from the suggestions. “It will be a violation of our transit agreement, and I hope it will not come to that,”the Russian leader added.

On Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked EU member states to approve additional sanctions against Belarus over what she said was a “hybrid attack” on the bloc. Meanwhile, Lukashenko has accused Brussels of engaging in a hybrid war of its own against his country by supporting Belarusian opposition figures and media outlets based abroad.

#AceNewsDesk report ……………Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#russia, #belarus, #eu, #oil, #pipeline

Ace Worldwide News Group 12:30 on 03/12/2021
Tags: AceHealthDesk ( 245 ), AceHealthReport ( 242 ), CoronavirusNewsDesk ( 130 ), COVID19 ( 256 ), GOVUK ( 49 ), Health ( 82 ), London ( 688 ), MHRA ( 3 )

(LONDON) GOVUK Press Release Statement Report: MHRA approves Xevudy (sotrovimab), a #COVID19 treatment found to cut hospitalisation and death by 79% #AceHealthDesk report

#AceHealthReport – Dec.03: Another #COVID19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), has today been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after it was found to be safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease.

#CoronavirusNewsDesk says this monoclonal antibody – the second to be authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – is for people with mild to moderate #COVID19 who are at high risk of developing severe disease according to Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

This follows a rigorous review of its safety, quality and effectiveness by the UK regulator and the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines, making it the second monoclonal antibody therapeutic to be approved following Ronapreve.

Developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, sotrovimab is a single monoclonal antibody. The drug works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This in turn prevents the virus from attaching to and entering human cells, so that it cannot replicate in the body.

In a clinical trial, a single dose of the monoclonal antibody was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

Based on the clinical trial data, sotrovimab is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection and so the MHRA recommends its use as soon as possible and within five days of symptom onset.

Like molnupiravir, it has been authorised for use in people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 infection and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. Such risk factors include obesity, older age (>55 years), diabetes mellitus, or heart disease.

Unlike molnupiravir, sotrovimab is administered by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes. It is approved for individuals aged 12 and above who weigh more than 40kg.

It is too early to know whether the omicron variant has any impact on sotrovimab’s effectiveness but the MHRA will work with the company to establish this.

Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive said:

“I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness.

“This is yet another therapeutic that has been shown to be effective at protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19, and signals another significant step forward in our fight against this devastating disease.

“With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA have conducted a robust and thorough assessment of all the available data.”

Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines, said:

“The Commission on Human Medicines and its COVID-19 Therapeutics Expert Working Group has independently reviewed the data and agrees with the MHRA’s regulatory approval of Xevudy (sotrovimab).

“When administered in the early stages of infection, sotrovimab was found to be effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk individuals with symptomatic COVID-19. Based on the data reviewed by the Commission and its expert group, it is clear sotrovimab is another safe and effective treatment to help us in our fight against COVID-19.”

Sotrovimab is not intended to be used as a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.

The government and the NHS will confirm how this COVID-19 treatment will be deployed to patients in due course.

Additional Notes:

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agencyis responsible for protecting and improving the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
The MHRA is a centre of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which also includes theNational Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC)and theClinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). MHRA is an executive agency of theDepartment of Health and Social Care.
TheCommission on Human Medicines (CHM) advises ministers on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicinal products. The CHM is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The MHRA’s Conditional Marketing Authorisation for sotrovimab is valid in Great Britain only. An emergency use authorisation has been granted for Northern Ireland to ensure access across the whole of the United Kingdom. Both authorisations were made on the basis of the same rigorous evaluation.
More information can be found in the product information

#AceHealthDesk report …………..Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#govuk, #health, #london, #mhra

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:55 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), guilty ( 32 ), HSI ( 55 ), Ice ( 64 ), Police ( 264 ), South Dakota ( 4 )

(SIOUX FALLS, S.D.) Justice Dept Court Report: An eastern South Dakota man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of receiving and distributing child pornography #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Madison (South Dakota) Police Department.

#AceDailyNews DOJ Court Report: South Dakota man indicted for child pornography following HSI investigation: Jordan Charles Opdahl, 29, was indicted Nov. 9. He pleaded not guilty Nov. 24 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy.

The indictment alleges that on or about Oct. 20, 2020, Opdahl knowingly received and distributed, and attempted to receive and distribute, child pornography.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 fine to be paid to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.

Opdahl was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not yet been set.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

#AceNewsDesk report ………….Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#guilty, #hsi, #ice, #police, #south-dakota

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Belarus ( 23 ), Journalists ( 9 ), migrants ( 93 ), NGO's ( 2 ), Poland ( 48 )

(POLAND) LATEST: President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday (30 November) signed into law legislation that will limit the access of aid charities and journalists to its border with Belarus as the country grapples with a simmering migrant crisis #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: The law is a blow to the opposition parties that advocated for unlimited media access, an amendment approved by the upper house of parliament on Friday but rejected by the lower house….

#AceDailyNews says that polish president has signs a law to keep away journalists, NGOs from Belarus border: The Polish Border Guard said there were 134 attempts to cross the Belarus border on Monday according to EURACTIV.com/

Under the state of emergency declared in the border region in September and ending at midnight, the media and aid charities were completely banned. The opposition said the ban was intended to cover up rights abuses and had sought unfettered access.

The government said the restrictions were necessary for security reasons.

Under the new rules, the interior minister can limit access to the border zone after consulting with the head of the Border Guard. However, journalists and NGOs may be able to enter at the discretion of local Border Guard heads.

Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Tuesday night he would order a temporary ban on entering areas around the border.

The European Union accuses Minsk of engineering the migrant crisis to hit back at sanctions. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko accuses the EU of deliberately provoking a humanitarian crisis.

Poland’s Human Rights Ombudsman has criticised the new law, saying it gives the interior minister the right to limit freedom of movement and to limit access to information about what is happening on the border indefinitely.

While the situation on the border has calmed since mid-November, when Polish security forces fired water cannon at migrants throwing rocks, there are still nightly attempts by groups to force their way through barbed wire fencing on the frontier.

#AceNewsDesk report ………..Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#belarus, #journalists, #migrants, #ngos, #poland

Ace Worldwide News Group 10:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Cybercriminals ( 2 ), DOJ ( 157 ), Malware ( 9 ), Michigan ( 10 ), United States ( 667 )

(MICHIGAN) Justice Dept Court Report: Russian Man Sentenced for Providing ‘Bulletproof Hosting’ for Cybercriminals #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: On Dec. 1, Chief Judge Denise Page Hood of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan sentenced Aleksandr Grichishkin, 34, of Russia, to 60 months in prison for the scheme…..

#AceDailyNews DOJ Court Report: A Russian man was sentenced today for providing “bulletproof hosting” services, which were used by cybercriminals between 2009 to 2015 to distribute malware and attack financial institutions and victims throughout the United States.

On June 28 and Oct. 20, respectively, Chief Judge Hood sentenced two of Grichishkin’s co-conspirators, Pavel Stassi, 30, of Estonia, to 24 months in prison and Aleksandr Skorodumov, 33, of Lithuania, to 48 months in prison for their roles in the scheme.

According to court documents, Grichishkin was a founder and leader of a bulletproof hosting organization that rented internet protocol (IP) addresses, servers, and domains to cybercriminal clients who employed this technical infrastructure to disseminate malware that allowed them to gain access to victims’ computers, form botnets, and steal banking credentials for use in frauds. Malware hosted by the organization included Zeus, SpyEye, Citadel, and the Blackhole Exploit Kit, which attacked U.S. companies and financial institutions between 2009 and 2015 and caused or attempted to cause millions of dollars in losses to U.S. victims.

Grichishkin also helped clients evade detection by law enforcement and continue their crimes uninterrupted by monitoring sites used to blocklist technical infrastructure used for crime, moving “flagged” content to new infrastructure, and registering all such infrastructure under false or stolen identities.

According to court filings and statements made in connection with the defendants’ guilty pleas, Grichishkin was one of the organization’s founders and proprietors, and its day-to-day leader. In this role, he oversaw efforts to advertise the organization’s bulletproof hosting services in online cybercrime forums, set pricing for these services, negotiated and interfaced with clients seeking internet infrastructure to be used in spamming and malware operations, managed employee hiring and compensation, and supervised the systems administrators’ and other employees’ work. He also regularly instructed other members of the organization on how to “resolve” abuse notices by, among other methods, moving the affected clients’ data to new, “clean” domains and IP addresses.

Stassi, Skorodumov, Grichishkin, and a fourth defendant, Andrei Skvortsov, 34, of Russia, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a racketeer influenced corrupt organization. Skvortsov is pending sentencing and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with critical assistance from law enforcement partners in Germany, Estonia, and the United Kingdom.

Senior Counsel Louisa K. Marion of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick E. Corbett of the Eastern District of Michigan prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance.

#cybercriminals, #doj, #malware, #michigan, #united-states

Ace Worldwide News Group 09:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), DOJ ( 157 ), jailed ( 121 ), Washington ( 494 )

(WASHINGTON) Justice Dept Court Report: Wife of “El Chapo” Sentenced to Prison for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.03: Emma Coronel Aispuro, 32, a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty on June 10 to a three-count criminal information. According to court documents, Coronel Aispuro conspired with Guzman Loera and other members of the Sinaloa cartel to traffic five kilograms or more of cocaine, one kilogram or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, knowing that these narcotics would be transported into and distributed in the United States. She also conspired to launder the proceeds of that narcotics trafficking and engaged in transactions and dealings in the property of her husband, Guzman Loera, who the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had designated a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker.

#AceDailyNews DOJ Court Report: The wife of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, leader of the Mexican drug-trafficking organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for charges related to international drug trafficking, money laundering, and a criminal violation of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (the Kingpin Act).

Court documents indicate that beginning in or about 2011 and continuing to at least Jan. 19, 2017, Coronel Aispuro was a co-conspirator in the activities of the Sinaloa Cartel, an organization which was led by her husband, Guzman Loera. Notably, after Guzman Loera was captured by Mexican authorities on Feb. 22, 2014, Coronel Aispuro played a critical role in facilitating his escape from a Mexican prison, which ultimately occurred on July 11, 2015, by conducting planning meetings with other co-conspirators and by coordinating the movement of drug proceeds to finance the escape.

To facilitate the escape, Coronel Aispuro assisted in the purchase of a property near the prison and provided Guzman Loera with a watch that contained a GPS tracking device, allowing co-conspirators to dig a tunnel from that nearby property, under the prison, to Guzman Loera’s cell. Coronel Aispuro even relayed messages from Guzman Loera to other members of the Sinaloa Cartel regarding the operation of their illicit activities while he was detained.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras also entered a forfeiture money judgment against Coronel Aispuro in the amount of $1,499,970, representing proceeds of and property obtained by Coronel Aispuro as a result of her drug-trafficking activities.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting Assistant Director Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with significant assistance from other FBI Field Offices, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. The Justice Department thanks the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury for their support and contributions to the case.

Deputy Chief Anthony Nardozzi and Assistant Deputy Chief Kate Wagner of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case.

#AceNewsDesk report ………..Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#doj, #jailed, #washington

Ace Worldwide News Group 08:00 on 03/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), AceHealthDesk ( 245 ), AceHealthReport ( 242 ), CoronavirusNewsDesk ( 130 ), COVID19 ( 256 ), Health ( 82 ), London ( 688 ), ONS ( 10 )

(LONDON) ONS REPORT: An estimated 1.2 million people living in private households in the UK (1.9% of the population) were experiencing self-reported long #COVID19 (symptoms persisting for more than four weeks #AceHealthDesk report

#AceHealthReport – Dec.03: ONS has just published the latest health data on ‘long covid’ that they now say 1.9% of the population are experiencing here is their latest press release …..

#AceDailyNews ONS Data Report: of people living in ‘private households’ experiencing self-reported long-covid19′ with symptoms lasting longer than 4-weeks….

1. Main points

An estimated 1.2 million people living in private households in the UK (1.9% of the population) were experiencing self-reported long COVID (symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) infection that were not explained by something else) as of 31 October 2021; this is consistent with the 1.2 million (1.9%) seen as of 2 October 2021.
The estimates presented in this analysis relate to self-reported long COVID, as experienced by study participants who responded to a representative survey, rather than clinically diagnosed ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 syndrome in the full population.
Of people with self-reported long COVID, 232,000 (19%) first had (or suspected they had) COVID-19 less than 12 weeks previously; 862,000 people (71%) first had (or suspected they had) COVID-19 at least 12 weeks previously, and 439,000 (36%) first had (or suspected they had) COVID-19 at least one year previously.
The proportion of people with self-reported long COVID who reported that it reduced their ability to carry out daily activities remained stable compared with previous months; symptoms adversely affected the day-to-day activities of 775,000 people (64% of those with self-reported long COVID), with 232,000 (19%) reporting that their ability to undertake their day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot”.
Fatigue continued to be the most common symptom reported as part of individuals’ experience of long COVID (54% of those with self-reported long COVID), followed by shortness of breath (36%), loss of smell (35%), and difficulty concentrating (28%).
As a proportion of the UK population, prevalence of self-reported long COVID remained greatest in people aged 35 to 69 years, females, people living in more deprived areas, those working in health or social care, and those with another activity-limiting health condition or disability.

If you are worried about new or ongoing symptoms four or more weeks after having COVID-19, there are resources available to help: see the NHS webpage on the long-term effects of coronavirus and the NHS Your COVID Recovery website, which can help you to understand what has happened and what you might expect as part of your recovery. The time it takes to recover from COVID-19 is different for everyone, and the length of your recovery is not necessarily related to the severity of your initial illness or whether you were in hospital.!

This is analysis of new, recently collected data, and our understanding of it and its quality will improve over time. Long COVID is an emerging phenomenon that is not yet fully understood. The estimates presented in this release are experimental statistics, which are series of statistics that are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed.Back to table of contents

This analysis was based on 341,882 responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey (CIS) collected over the four-week period ending 31 October 2021, weighted to represent people aged two years and over living in private households in the UK. Self-reported long COVID was defined as symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first suspected coronavirus infection that were not explained by something else. Parents and carers answered survey questions on behalf of children aged under 12 years.

Date of first (suspected) COVID-19 infection was taken to be the earliest of: date of first positive test for COVID-19 during study follow-up; date of first self-reported positive test for COVID-19 outside of study follow-up; date of first suspected coronavirus infection, as reported by the participant. Those with an unknown date of first (suspected) COVID-19 infection are in the estimates for “any duration” but not in duration specific estimates.

The definition of self-reported long COVID in this release is consistent with that used for “Approach 3” in our recently published technical articleon the prevalence of post-acute symptoms 4 or 12 weeks after COVID-19 infection. The estimates in this release are expressed out of everyone in the population; in contrast, the denominator for the estimates in our technical article is the number of infected people in the study sample. A further difference is that this analysis is based on confirmed and suspected COVID-19 infections, whereas the estimates in the technical article include only laboratory-confirmed cases.

The focus of this analysis is the population prevalence of self-reported long COVID. For data on the impact of long COVID, see results from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey and the Schools Infection Survey.

The strengths and limitations of this analysis are described in a previous release. The survey questions relating to self-reported long COVID can be found in Section D of the CIS questionnaire. See Tables 2a to 2f of the technical datasets accompanying the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey statistical bulletin for survey response rates.

An estimated 1.2 million people living in private households in the UK (1.9% of the population) were experiencing self-reported long COVID as of 31 October 2021.

This is consistent with the level seen in the four weeks to 2 October 2021 https://t.co/vPk5YQi3Fs pic.twitter.com/ZfJIHS0jPn
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) December 2, 2021

#AceHealthDesk report ………..Published: Dec.03: 2021:

#coronavirusnewsdesk, #covid19, #health, #london, #ons

Ace Worldwide News Group 15:00 on 02/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Beijing ( 138 ), China ( 312 ), Washington ( 494 )

(WASHINGTON/BEIJING) Arms Race Report: A hypersonic weapons “arms race” is well underway between the United States and China, the US Air Force secretary said on Tuesday #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.02: It’s an arms race that has been going on for quite some time. The Chinese have been at it very aggressively.”

#AceDailyNews says the US in hypersonic weapon ‘arms race’ with China: Air Force chief: There is an arms race, not necessarily for increased numbers, but for increased quality,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Reuters during an interview in his Pentagon offices according PressTV Report:

Wednesday, 01 December 2021 8:57 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 01 December 2021 8:57 AM ]

US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)

Hypersonic weapons travel in the upper atmosphere at speeds of over five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kilometers (3,853 miles) per hour.

The remarks by Kendall come as the US Defense Department has held several hypersonic weapons tests with mixed success this year.

In October, the Navy successfully tested a booster rocket motor that could be used to power a launch vehicle carrying a hypersonic weapon aloft.

However, in the same month, a test for an experimental system from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island in Alaska failed due to a problem with the booster system.

Meanwhile, China has conducted tests of its hypersonic weapons systems over the summer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley confirmed in October.

Kendall admitted the US has focused resources on Iraq and Afghanistan at the expense of developing hypersonic weapons.

“This isn’t saying we’ve done nothing, but we haven’t done enough,” he said.

His remarks reflect a growing effort by Biden administration officials to focus more on China and Russia following the US’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.

‘We’re not as advanced as the Chinese or the Russians’ with hypersonic missiles: US GeneralThe United States’ hypersonic missile capabilities are “not as advanced” as those of China or Russia, says US Space Force General David Thompson.

Last month, US Space Force General David Thompson said the US’ hypersonic missile capabilities are “not as advanced” as those of China or Russia.

“We have catching up to do very quickly, the Chinese have an incredible hypersonic program,” he said.

In its 2021 Global Posture Review, published Monday, the Pentagon said it was planning major infrastructure improvements at military airfields in Guam and Australia to counter China in the Asia-Pacific region.

For the fiscal year running through 2022, the US is planning to spend $3.8 billion on hypersonic missiles, according to a memo the Congressional Research Service (CRS) provided for US Congress on Oct. 19.

#AceNewsDesk report ……….Published: Dec.02: 2021:

#beijing, #china, #washington

Ace Worldwide News Group 14:00 on 02/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), arrested ( 30 ), Burglary ( 2 ), London ( 688 ), MET ( 224 ), Wandsworth

(LONDON) MET REPORT: Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into an aggravated burglary in Wandsworth #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.02: The pair, aged 53 and 34, were arrested on suspicion on aggravated burglary on Wednesday, 1 December. They remain in custody at a south London police station.

#AceDailyNews MET UPDATE Report: Two arrested following aggravated burglary in Wandsworth

UPDATE: Two arrested following aggravated burglary in Wandsworth

Police were called at 09:58hrs on Monday, 29 November to reports of an aggravated burglary at a residential address on Arabella Drive, SW15.

At the scene officers found a woman, aged in her 30s, who had been approached outside her address by two males wearing caps with the word ‘Police’ on the front. They claimed to be there to conduct a drug search. When the victim challenged them they forced her inside her home and assaulted her causing cuts and bruises.

The men searched the address and left with a two-month old female American XL bulldog puppy, which is described as ‘blue merle’. Cash and a bag containing Christmas gifts were also stolen.

The victim was treated at hospital for injuries before being discharged.

Anyone who has information or footage relating to this incident, but has not yet spoken with police should call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 1837/29Nov.

To remain 100% anonymous call the independent charity Crimestopperson 0800 555 111.

+ Guidance on checking the identity of a police officer:

Unfortunately, there have been occasions where criminals have posed as police officers, both in person and on the phone.

If one of our officers contacts you in person, they’ll show you their police warrant card. This is proof of their identity and authority.

If you are unsure about whether the person you’re dealing with is a genuine police officer – stop – and call us on 101 to check their identity. In an emergency always call 999: For more details please visit our website

#AceNewsDesk report …………Published: Dec.02: 2021:

#arrested, #burglary, #london, #met, #wandsworth

Ace Worldwide News Group 13:00 on 02/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Court ( 189 ), Isleworth ( 5 ), London ( 688 ), Murder ( 108 ), Snaresbrook

(LONDON) Isleworth Crown Court Report: Two men who were part of a gang that broke into a property in Enfield and shot a man at close range have been sentenced to a total of 71 years for attempted murder #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.02: Asharn Williams, 22, (03.02.1999), of Tylers Gate, Harrow and Mickell Barnett, 21, (21.01.2000) of no fixed address, appeared for sentencing at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, 30 November.

#AceDailyNews Court Report: Gang members sentenced to total of 71 years for shotgun attack: The sentencing followed a six week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court which concluded on Tuesday, 13 July.

1 December 2021 07:00

Jailed: Mickell Barnett (L) and Asharn Williams (R)

COURT CASE NOTES:

Williams was sentenced to 31 years’ imprisonment with an extended licence of four years resulting in a total of 35 years.

Barnett was sentenced to 32 years’ imprisonment with an extended licence of four years resulting in a total of 36 years.

The defendants were assessed as dangerous individuals involved in violent gang offending and considered high harm offenders. Due to the finding of dangerousness, two thirds of their sentences must be served in prison prior to any consideration of parole.

The jury in the trial heard that on 23 February 2019, a two-car convoy containing gang members from Brent travelled to an address in Enfield, intent on causing serious harm.

Just before 01:00hrs, a group of males, including Williams and Barnett, broke into a home in Enfield armed with a shotgun.

Three occupants inside the property, fearing for their lives, fled upstairs.

The 26-year-old victim – who we are not naming and who was not connected to gangs – attempted to barricade himself behind a flimsy internal door, pushing against his attackers to try and save his life.

At this point a shotgun was fired twice through the door hitting the victim in the abdomen, causing life threatening injuries.

The attackers fled the property, leaving the victim seriously wounded, before returning to Brent.

The complex investigation was passed to Trident detectives from the Specialist Crime Command North West Hub.

They interviewed a significant number of witnesses and used CCTV and mobile phone enquires to identify and arrest multiple suspects.

Although there was no forensic evidence available, through painstaking analysis of automatic number plate recognition cameras and mobile phone data, the detectives were able to place the defendants at the scene of the attack.

The prosecution also showed evidence from a drill music video which showed both Williams and Barnett and which featured other gang affiliates. The involvement of both men in violent drill music was commented on by the judge in his sentencing.

Detective Sergeant Mark Attridge, from the Trident Specialist Crime Command said:

” The investigation revealed that gang tensions around north west London had been the cause of escalating violence in the area.

The sentences passed today are significant for a case of attempted murder and should send out a very clear message that if you choose to immerse yourself in the gang lifestyle then you can expect arrest and substantial terms of imprisonment if found guilty of crimes attributed to gang offending.

“Both Williams and Barnett are violent gang members who are now paying the price for the choices they have made. Both young men have previous arrests and convictions attributed to their lifestyle with Barnett already serving nearly seven years for a gang related stabbing.

“I would like to pay tribute to the Trident officers involved in this complex and long running investigation who, in securing these convictions and sentences, have stopped these dangerous offenders causing further misery on the streets of our city. They were supported by a formidable prosecution legal team who played a key part in securing these convictions.”

The victim’s mother, speaking previously, said:

” As a result of being shot close hand with a shotgun, my son sustained significant injuries during the incident. On his road to recovery he has undergone numerous surgeries and is also likely to be subjected to more surgical interventions in the future to try and manage some of the damage that has resulted from the attack.

“The impact of the shooting on my son and our family has been significant. As well as managing the physical injuries, we have also been left extremely traumatised.

“The shooting was gang-related, however my son was not and has never been part of a gang.

“Notwithstanding this, his life has still been severely impacted by the violence and the chaos resulting from gang activity and the ongoing and often petty disputes between opposing gangs that have significant consequences.

“Our family is very grateful to the Metropolitan Police for their efforts to both identify and punish the individuals responsible for the attack, and to help us understand the events that took place that night.

“Unfortunately the police were not able to charge all of the individuals they believe are responsible for the shooting. However our family is still very grateful that they were able to bring charges against some and that they will face the consequences of their choices and actions and will no longer present a significant threat to public safety.”

#AceNewsDesk report ………….Published: Dec.02: 2021:

#court, #isleworth, #london, #murder, #snaresbrook

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:55 on 02/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Indianapolis ( 6 ), IPD, Police ( 264 ), stabbing ( 140 )

(INDIANAPOLIS) IPD REPORT: A man armed with multiple knives stabbed two police officers early Wednesday before they shot and wounded him, authorities said #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.01: Officers responding to a reported disturbance about 1 a.m. came in contact with the man, who said another person was harassing him. Officers told the man they would attempt to locate the other person, but when they walked away police said he attacked them.

#AceDailyNews says that a man has stabbed two police officers before he was shot and wounded him according to MailOnline News Report:

Both officers shot at the man, who was hospitalized in stable condition, police said in a statement.

The officers were taken to a hospital and were listed in stable condition. No one else was injured. Names of those involved weren’t immediately released.

The attack on the officers is under investigation, police said, and a separate administrative investigation is being conducted by administrative affairs.

The officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such cases.

#AceNewsDesk report ………..Published: Dec.02: 2021:

#indianapolis, #ipd, #police, #stabbing

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:30 on 02/12/2021
Tags: Police ( 264 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), shooting ( 84 ), Utah ( 8 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 )

(UTAH) JUST IN: A police officer was fighting for his life overnight and another officer was wounded in a confrontation that also left a suspect struck by gunfire, according to FOX News #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.02: I would say it’s likely a life-threatening injury,” Roxanne Vainuku, a spokeswoman for the West Valley City Police Department, told the station. Neither the officers nor the suspect were named.

#AceDailyNews says that one of the officers was in critical condition, KUTV-TV of Salt Lake City reported By Dom Calicchio

Fox News Flash top headlines for December 1

FOX News: The gunfire occurred as police were working to track down a suspect wanted on rape and robbery charges, a report said

West Valley City is a suburb of Salt Lake City. Police there were working to track down a suspect wanted on rape and robbery charges, KUTV-TV reported.

The officers located the suspect inside an SUV that was parked outside a convenience store, according to the station. An infant was inside the vehicle as well, the report said. It wasn’t immediately clear what the relationship was between the suspect and the baby, KUTV reported.

As police approached, the suspect refused to comply with orders to get out of the vehicle, authorities told the station. Eventually, the man got out and fired at police, striking the two officers.

Police returned fire and struck the suspect, the report said.

The second wounded officer was in serious condition while the suspect’s medical condition was not immediately known, KUTV reported.

The suspect was said to be known to police before the incident and was considered armed and dangerous when officers approached, the station reported.

The infant was reported to be unharmed.

Streets in the immediate area were expected to be closed into Thursday morning as police continued an investigation, KUTV reported.

Police urged any witnesses to contact them with information at 801-840-4000.

Dom Calicchio is a Senior Editor at FoxNews.com/

#AceNewsDesk report ………….Published: Dec.02: 2021:

#police, #shooting, #utah

Ace Worldwide News Group 11:00 on 02/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), London ( 688 ), Prince William ( 3 ), Royalty ( 2 ), The Crown

(LONDON) The Crown Report: Prince William is said to be frustrated that the BBC is helping Netflix profit from Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama interview for The Crown #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.02: According to The Telegraph, the Duke Of Cambridge is ‘disappointed’ by the inclusion on the interview which comes just months after Lord Dyson’s report concluded the BBC covered up ‘deceitful behaviour’ used by Mr Bashir to secure it.

#AceDailyNews says that the period drama was seen filming at BBC’s Broadcasting House on Tuesday to recreate a real-life scene in the run-up to the 1995 interview and it’s thought that a dramatisation of the bombshell interview will appear in season five according to a Metro has reached out to Kensington Palace. The Crown declined to comment.

Prince William and Princess Diana — The Duke Of Cambridge is said to be disappointed by the move (Picture: Getty/PA)

It’s been reported that in the scene, actor Richard Cordery, who portrays the then chairman of the BBC’s board of governors Marmaduke Hussey, gets out of a car and walks into the building.

Metro.co.uk understands permission was given for the cast to walk through the BBC’s door and out again.

The moment is said to recreate the fall-out that followed Diana stating, ‘there were three of us in this marriage’.

Lord Dyson’s report concluded that Bashir was in ‘serious breach’ of the BBC’s producer guidelines when he faked bank statements and showed them to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer to gain access to the princess for the interview.

Princess Diana in Martin Bashir interview — Princess Diana was interviewed by Martin Bashir in 1995 (Picture: BBC)

Following the report, William and the Duke of Sussex both issued statements condemning the BBC’s actions, with the Duke of Cambridge calling for the interview never to be aired again.

‘It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her,’ he said.

The BBC wrote to the royal family to apologise for the circumstances surrounding the interview and Bashir also issued an apology, saying faking the documents was ‘a stupid thing do to do’, and ‘an action I deeply regret’, but maintained it had ‘no bearing whatsoever on the personal choice by Princess Diana to take part in the interview’.

The fifth series of the lavish royal drama, due to air in November 2022, will see Dominic West star as the Prince of Wales and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana.

File photo dated 28/10/19 of former BBC News religion editor Martin Bashir, who has said he — Martin Bashir breached the BBC’s guidelines in getting his Diana interview (Picture: Getty)

Imelda Staunton will take over the role of the Queen from Olivia Colman, while Jonathan Pryce will replace Tobias Menzies as the Duke of Edinburgh and Lesley Manville will take on Princess Margaret, following in the footsteps of Helena Bonham Carter.

The Crown was due to end after the fifth series, but the show’s creator and writer, Peter Morgan, later said it will be extended to include a sixth series.

#AceNewsDesk report …………..Published: Dec.01: 2021:

#london, #prince-william, #royalty, #the-crown

Ace Worldwide News Group 10:30 on 02/12/2021
Tags: #AceDailyNews ( 1,389 ), #AceNewsDesk ( 4,930 ), #AceNewsReport ( 4,883 ), Alabama ( 6 ), shotting

(ALABAMA) JUST IN: A shooting on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of a retired sheriff’s deputy who was working as a process server, and of the suspect, according to Fox News #AceNewsDesk report

#AceNewsReport – Dec.02: The retired deputy, who was identified as Madison “Skip” Nicholson, and Wilcox County’s Chief Deputy Trenton Gulley were both met with gunfire when they arrived at a residence in Yellow Bluff around 5 p.m., WSFA-TV of Montgomery, Alabama, reported.

#AceDailyNews says overnight on Wednesday night Alabama shooting leaves retired deputy and suspect dead Fox News Report By Dom Calicchio

A pair of officers investigated after a woman called police, fearing her estranged husband might try to kill her, an official said….

The pair of officers went to the location after a woman called police, fearing her estranged husband might try to kill her, Melissa Dove, executive director of the Wilcox County Emergency Management Agency, told the station.

“It’s a tragic incident,” Wilcox County Sheriff Earnest Evans told AL.com. “It’s real dangerous to go on domestic violence cases, as we all know.”

“It’s a tragic incident. It’s real dangerous to go on domestic violence cases, as we all know.”— Wilcox County Sheriff Earnest Evans

Gulley suffered non-life-threatening wounds but Nicholson died after taking multiple gunshots to his chest and one to his neck, WSFA reported.

The woman who had called police was not wounded, the report said.

The suspect was identified as Billy Bizzell. Dove and the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office gave conflicting accounts of how he died, WSFA reported.

Dove said Bizzell was shot and killed by the chief deputy, while the sheriff’s office claimed Bizzell took his own life, according to the station.

In addition to local authorities, personnel from the state Bueau of Investigation and the FBI’s office in Mobile, Alabama, responded to the scene, the report said.

Wilcox is the home county of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who issued a statement following reports of Nicholson’s death.

“Tonight, my home county of Wilcox tragically lost retired Sheriff’s Deputy Madison ‘Skip’ Nicholson, who was shot and killed in the line of duty,” Ivery wrote, according to WSFA. “A chief deputy was also treated for his injuries. We are reminded far too often the grave sacrifice our men and women in blue face each day to protect our communities. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is actively leading the investigation on this tragic situation. My prayers go out to his family and colleagues.”

Nicholson was the third Alabama law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, AL.com reported. The others were Sheffield police Sgt. Nick Risner, who was killed Oct. 2, and Selma police Officer Marquis Moorer, who was killed July 27, the report said.

Yellow Bluff is about 91 miles southwest of Montgomery.Dom Calicchio is a Senior Editor at FoxNews.com.

#AceNewsDesk report ………….Published: Dec.02: 2021:

#alabama, #shotting