Grand Canyon opens lottery for shooting bison in the park

TOO BAD YOU KILLED ALL  THE WOLVES

Fri., April 30, 2021



FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The National Park Service is opening a rare opportunity for skilled shooters to help reduce the number of bison roaming the far reaches of northern Arizona.

Come Monday, potential volunteers will have 48 hours to submit an application to kill the massive animals at Grand Canyon National Park this fall. Thousands of people from across the country are expected to apply. Only 12 will be chosen through a lottery system and notified in mid-May.

“It's a unique experience and you can walk a long ways before you see one, then you gotta get a shot,” said Dave Arnold, a Sun City resident and hunter who harvested a bison in 2002 in South Dakota. “That's where the fun ends. ...It's going to be a lot of work if they get a good-size animal."

The non-physically fit need not apply. Much of the work will be done on foot in elevations of 8,000 feet (2,438 metres ) or higher at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. Volunteers can't use motorized transportation or stock animals to retrieve the bison that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

Each volunteer can choose a support crew and will have to prove firearms proficiency.

Officials at the Grand Canyon say the bison increasingly have been trampling archaeological resources, creating deep ruts and wallows in meadows, and spoiling ponds. They can be hunted on the adjacent national forest, which has pushed them to make their homes almost exclusively within the Grand Canyon.

“They are very skilled climbers. They can get down in places humans can’t,” Grand Canyon spokeswoman Kaitlyn Thomas said.

The park service released a plan in September 2017 that called for a mix of corralling the animals near the highway that leads to the North Rim and relocating them, and for skilled volunteers to shoot.

Hunting is prohibited within national parks. But the agency has authority to kill animals that harm resources, using park staff or volunteers.

Other national parks have turned to volunteer shooters to reduce the number of wildlife, including mountain goats at Olympic National Park in Washington, and elk at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

Between 300 and 500 bison are on the Grand Canyon's North Rim. The park wants to reduce the number to 200, and it has made progress with corralling and relocating the animals.

Grand Canyon Superintendent Ed Keable revived talks over the lethal option after they had stalled. An agreement reached last year between the park and the Arizona Game and Fish Department lets each volunteer shooter keep up to one full bison. The work will happen in September and October.

Native American tribes will have a separate opportunity to become volunteer shooters, but those agreements aren't finalized, Thomas said.

The state wildlife office will select and vet 25 applicants and forward those to the park service, which will choose 12 in a lottery. Employees of the Arizona Department of Game and Fish and the park service aren't eligible.

Unlike hunting, volunteers won't have to pay for a bison tag that can top $5,400 for non-Arizona residents. Shooting a bison at the Grand Canyon also won't count against the one bison lifetime limit for hunters.

“None of the things that a person has to think about when they're getting drawn for a regular bison hunt through the Arizona Game and Fish Department apply,” said Larry Phoenix, a regional supervisor for the department.

Environmental groups have said lethal removal appeases the state wildlife agency and is far less efficient than other methods. They also contend the sound of gunshots will affect other wildlife that aren’t the targets.

“It’s not the appropriate way to go about this in our eyes,” said Alicyn Gitlin of the Sierra Club.

Volunteer shooters must bring their own equipment and use non-lead ammunition to avoid the risk of poisoning the endangered California condor that scavenges on gut piles. The park service will provide cold storage for the work week.

Wildlife officials say shooting bison within the park should pressure the animals to move back to the Kaibab National Forest. The bison are descendants of those introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s as part of a ranching operation to crossbreed them with cattle and are owned by the state.

Arnold, the Sun City resident, said a few people in his sportsmen's group have said they are interested in applying for the volunteer effort. But at 78, he won't be a contender.

“It’s going to be very appealing to some people,” Arnold said. “If I was 20 years younger, I would be right there in line.”

Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press

Myanmar protesters march three months after coup; U.N. warns of 'standstill'


FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators march to protest against the military coup, in Dawei


(Reuters) - Protesters against military rule marched in Myanmar on Saturday three months after a coup ended a democratic transition, with several small blasts compounding a sense of crisis that a U.N. envoy warned could bring state administration to a halt.

The military has tried to end dissent and impose its authority on a people largely opposed to the return of rule by the generals after 10 years of democratic reforms that included a government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite a relentless crackdown in which at least 759 protesters have been killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, crowds come out day after day to reject the junta.

"Our cause, democracy, our cause, a federal union. Free arrested leaders," protesters chanted at one of two rallies in the main city of Yangon.

Suu Kyi, 75, has been detained since the coup the along with many other members of her party. The AAPP says more than 3,400 people have been detained for opposing the military.

People also rallied in the second city of Mandalay and the southern town of Dawei, media reported.

There were no immediate reports of violence.

Media reported several small blasts in different places including Yangon late on Friday and on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties and no claims of responsibility.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment. The military has accused pro-democracy activists of planting bombs.

The U.N. special envoy on Myanmar told the Security Council on Friday that in the absence of a collective international response to the coup, violence was worsening and the running of the state risked coming to a standstill, according to diplomats who attended the private meeting.

Christine Schraner Burgener briefed the 15-member council from Thailand, where she has been meeting regional leaders. She hopes to travel to Myanmar but the military has yet to approve a visit.

"The general administration of the state could risk coming to a standstill as the pro-democracy movement continues in spite of the ongoing use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests and torture as part of the military's repression," Schraner Burgener said, according to diplomats.

She told diplomats that reports of a continuing crackdown risked undermining momentum toward ending the crisis following a meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on April 25 with the junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Schraner Burgener, expressing concern about rising violence, cited reports of bomb attacks and of civilians, mostly students from the urban areas, getting weapons training from ethnic minority insurgents.

U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said Min Aung Hlaing had used the summit as a "propaganda ploy".

"Indeed, he tried to appear to be what he is not - a legitimate leader," Andrews said in a post on Twitter.

"The good news: Those who ARE legitimate are ready to engage: the National Unity Government."

Ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi's party, politicians representing ethnic minorities and democracy activists set up the unity government but it has yet to win the international recognition it says it is due.

The U.N. Security Council reiterated its "deep concern" at the situation and its support for Myanmar's democratic transition. The council has issued several statements since the coup but diplomats say Russia and China are likely to prevent any stronger council action against Myanmar.

Feds, CFL in talks for potential support this year: Carr

., April 30, 2021

While the federal Liberal government’s special envoy to the Prairies spent Thursday morning touting Ottawa’s 2021-22 budget, Winnipeg MP Jim Carr Thursday afternoon said the feds are in talks with the Canadian Football League about a possible funding arrangement this year.

“(Conversations are) ongoing and the relationships are good and the line of communication is fluid. There are a lot of variables out there,” Carr said in an interview.

On Thursday morning, the Saskatchewan, Regina and Saskatoon chambers of commerce hosted Carr in a virtual videoconference in which he touted pieces of the federal budget and fielded attendees’ questions.

Among the items he highlighted was Ottawa’s $1 billion for Canada’s tourism sector.

In an interview, Carr refuted the suggestion the CFL is an important part of the country’s tourism sector and any money for the league to operate would not come from those dollars. “They’re different issues and different discussions,” he said, referencing the league's funding request to Ottawa last year.

But he hinted there could be, under the tourism file, federal money earmarked for festival activities in the week leading up to the championship Grey Cup game.

“I'm giving you the view from a Prairie guy who understands the importance of that league to our identity and the Grey Cup itself — speaking of festivals — is a major national event that has meaning for a lot of Canadians,” he said.

Part of this year’s tourism funding pot sets aside “$200 million for large festivals,” Carr said.

The CFL did not respond to the Leader-Post's request for comment before deadline.

The nine-team football league asked the feds last year for financial support to help with economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic but was denied. The CFL, which cancelled its 2020 season due to the pandemic, had proposed Ottawa give it either $30 million in the event of a truncated season, or top up that amount to $150 million upon its full 2020 cancellation.

Last week the league said it is delaying the start of its 2021 season to Aug. 5, almost two months from the original June 10 start. It also plans to delay this year’s Grey Cup, to be played in Hamilton, to Dec. 12.

Carr also addressed how the pandemic has killed airport budgets, as consumer airline travel has remained more or less grounded.

He mentioned his government’s bailout loans for Air Canada and Transat — $5.9 billion and $700 million, respectively — while teasing more potential airline support.

“Conversations continue with other airlines,” he said, declining to comment if a deal will happen for Calgary-based carrier WestJet.

“That's being handled by the Ministry of Finance. These are complex negotiations and I’m pleased with where we landed on Air Canada discussions and now Transat.”

eradford@postmedia.com

— with files from Murray McCormick, Regina Leader-Post

Evan Radford, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Regina Leader-Post, The Leader-Post

US DUMPING FAKE VACCINES 

Canada receives J&J's COVID-19 vaccine from plant where FDA halted production

Fri., April 30, 2021


FILE PHOTO: Vials labeled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" 

and syringe are seen in front of displayed J&J logo in this illustration


(Reuters) -Canada's drug regulator said on Friday that doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine recently delivered to the country were produced at a Baltimore plant where the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halted production.

Health Canada said in a statement that it will hold the vaccine doses until it is satisfied they meet its standards, and is consulting with J&J and the FDA. The first shipment of 300,000 J&J vaccine doses arrived in Canada earlier this week.

The FDA halted production of the vaccines at a U.S. manufacturing plant owned by Emergent BioSolutions earlier this month as it investigates an error that led to millions of doses being ruined in March.

Late on Friday, Health Canada said it had learned that the active ingredient in the vaccine had been made at the Emergent site, and the final vaccines were manufactured at a different site outside the United States.

J&J was not available for immediate comment.

Many COVID-19 vaccines are made at one site and packaged into vials at another site.

(Reporting by Trisha Roy in Bengaluru and Allison Martell ; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Cynthia Osterman)

One COVID-19 case confirmed in Ekati mine worker


Fri., April 30, 2021

An aerial view of the Ekati mine, 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. One new case was confirmed at the site on Friday. The infected person and 25 others are self-isolating on site. (Dominion Diamond Corporation - image credit)

A case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in a worker at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola said in a news release Friday evening that an investigation and contact tracing show no risk to the public.

The person did not get infected at the mine, the release says, and all screening measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were in place.

The infected person and 25 other people identified as contacts are self-isolating at the mine site.

"The OCPHO [Office of the Chief Public Health Officer] is working closely with the Ekati mine to gather information, ensure measures that mitigate risk of transmission are in place, and, monitor the situation," the release says.

In a news release issued Wednesday evening, Kandola said she is now treating all new infections in the territory as variants of concern until confirmed otherwise.

The case won't be included in the territory's COVID-19 statistics as the individual is not an N.W.T. resident.

As of Friday evening, there are nine active cases in the territory, six of which are N.W.T. residents.

So far, 25,857 people in the territory have received one dose of the vaccine and 20,943 people have received the second dose.

Alaska's first CSI takes on blood and burglaries in sub-zero weather

James Bartlett - Los Angeles
Sat., May 1, 2021

Shasta Pomeroy

Alaska, the Last Frontier state, now has its first and only crime scene investigator. What drew the native Alaskan to the forensic sciences?

Two years into her justice degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Shasta Pomeroy went on a ride-along with the local police and was allowed to observe an outdoor crime scene.

At the time, she was unsure of her future. She was taking law classes, but knew she didn't want a career as an attorney.

That night changed everything for her.

"I knew that I wanted to be on scene. I was never more sure of anything in my life. My family were surprised, but they were super supportive," she says.

Pomeroy completed the law classes, but it was a five-week study trip one summer to University of California Riverside, some 55 miles (88km) east of downtown Los Angeles, that was her leap of faith.

"The crime scene investigation certification was expensive, and it meant travelling into the Lower 48," she says. "I was really seeing if this was what I wanted."

She learned about crime scene photography, bloodstain pattern recognition, collecting DNA, entomology (insect) samples and more, and it quickly confirmed she had made the right choice.

"I'm not emotion-driven, and I can't explain it, but I just knew."

She was born in Oregon but raised from infancy in North Pole, a small Alaska town about 15 miles south of Fairbanks, where it always feels like Christmas, with year-round decorations and a Santa Claus House.

A road sign for the North Pole Chamber of Commerce, Alaska.

In 2016, Pomeroy joined the Fairbanks Police Department [FPD] as a data clerk but would study in her down time and read forensic science books "for fun".

She then became an evidence technician, preserving and packaging evidence for later analysis by scientific investigators, and while she worked "tagging and bagging", she completed her Masters in Administration of Justice. Her final project reviewed the use of forensic science in law enforcement, and how it could apply within Alaska.

She had one goal in mind.

Over the next few years, she undertook further forensic science training through the state's medical examiner's office, the state crime lab, in Las Vegas, and online, and finally this March she was named as the first ever CSI (crime scene investigator) at the FPD.

"I respect and care about the people here, and I wanted to go where I was needed," she says.

Shasta Pomeroy

Her accomplishment wasn't just limited to the "Golden Heart" city - population 31,500 - as her appointment also meant she was the first ever CSI in the entire state of Alaska.

Just back from a "fantastic" week's training at the Death Investigation Academy in Missouri, Pomeroy, 30, spoke enthusiastically about her journey.

"Prior to me, detectives and others would get specialised training, and the State Troopers had a technician who would attend scenes."

She frequently mentions the encouragement she has received.

"This position literally didn't exist. [FPD] Chief Ron Dupee and Deputy Chief Rick Sweet created it for me," she says.

Writing reports is a constant in her duties, though on any random day she could be in the department dusting for fingerprints, processing footwear impressions, collecting DNA samples, or being called out to multiple crime scenes.

"Homicides, suspicious deaths, burglaries - we have lots of burglaries - sexual assaults, aggravated assaults. We deal with everything."

Working in Alaska has some extra challenges.

Black Spruce Trees, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States,

Heightened privacy laws mean a greater need for search warrants for example - and then there's the famous frigid weather.

"The coldest scene I have worked was -33 degrees, outdoors," Pomeroy says.

"You have to warm up your camera, your batteries, and then your hands, before you can work. If there's a drive-by shooting, the bullet casings will be hot when ejected from the weapon, and then freeze into the snow. You can't get them out wearing thick gloves."

'Sherlockian Principles of close observation'

The "CSI Effect", a television-inspired assumption among the public that crimes can be quickly solved using modern technology, does have some basis in truth, admits Pomeroy.

"We have a 3D, 360-degree imaging technology called Faro, which I'm waiting to be trained on, and handheld alternative light source (ALS), which I use to look for biological samples like body fluids such as semen and saliva at a sexual assault scene."

Shasta Pomeroy

Like all technology, Faro has some limitations, including the fact it cannot pick up "fungible" evidence like smoke, perfume or flashes of light.

"A lot of my work is on my hands and knees, using the Sherlockian Principles of close observation," says Pomeroy, who carries a Nikon camera and a pocket magnifying glass with LED and UV features with her on every call.

She has found herself on rooftops, or alone in remote, forested areas, of which Fairbanks has many. None of this dulls her passion, though she does admit to relying on coffee, often iced coffee, despite the weather.

'Human nature wants answers'

"I can go a call-out with just an hour of sleep, and no coffee, but it doesn't matter. I'm just excited to get to work. This really is my calling."

Like many other people working in law enforcement, Pomeroy is very physically active when she's off-duty. She says it's "a physical and artistic way of decompressing and expressing myself".

"I've been a ballerina and dancer for years, and I'm an aerialist on the silks and trapeze. I also enjoy singing, and I'm trying to pick up the piano."

Pomeroy admits that she does feel pressure as the first CSI - though not as the first female CSI.

Law enforcement is a notably male-dominated profession, but she's found nothing but support, and she says everyone understands how useful her work can be.

CSIs are usually expected to specialise, and now she's in the field, Pomeroy is looking to obtain certifications in areas such as death investigations and bloodstain pattern recognition and analysis.

She also assists the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage with post-mortem biological sample collection, something that allows the bodies of victims to be released to the family in timely manner.

"Human nature wants answers," she says.

"As one piece of the crime-solving puzzle, I can help give answers to victims, and to the community."

Missouri latest state to thwart voter-approved policies

Sat., May 1, 2021,



COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers recently shut down attempts to pay for Medicaid expansion, in what is the latest example of a statehouse fighting to undo voter-enacted polices.

Critics argued during a contentious debate in the state Senate on Thursday that voters didn’t understand the potential cost of the federal health insurance program. Supporters, including Democrats and some Republicans, said lawmakers were going against the will of voters who amended the Missouri Constitution last year to make thousands more low-income adults eligible for government health insurance.

“The people voted for this. We put it in the Missouri Constitution. That’s what they voted to do,” Democratic Sen. Jill Schupp said. “Now we have people who took an oath to uphold the constitutions of the United States and the state of Missouri, and here we are with people turning their backs.”

It’s unclear how the decision will impact access to Medicaid once new eligibility rules take effect in July. Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday tweeted that his administration will assess its options once the budget is finalized. Lawmakers expect a court battle.

Missouri is among 16 states that allow voters to enact policies by putting them on the ballot, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. South Dakota, Utah, Montana, Arizona and Florida are all states where lawmakers recently sought to undermine voter-approved measures.

In voting against funding Missouri's Medicaid expansion, the Senate’s top budgeter, Republican Dan Hegeman, said: “If the voters had all the information we do, I think they would have made a different decision.”

Craig Burnett, a political scientist and direct democracy expert at Hofstra University, said gaps between lawmaker and voter priorities can occur when there’s an oversaturation of Democrats in urban areas or due to gerrymandering — when legislative districts are drawn to give one party an oversized advantage in elections. He said the conflict is particularly acute when it comes to social issues.

“You only get this kind of mismatch when the legislature is pretty significantly out of step with the average voter,” Burnett said.

South Dakota was the first state to adopt direct democracy in 1898. There’s been pushback from lawmakers since then.

Recently, voters there legalized medical marijuana, raised the minimum wage and expanded casino gambling. The GOP-led Legislature responded by trying to make it harder to put initiative petitions on the ballot.

In Montana, voters last year approved a recreational marijuana program that sends a significant portion of tax revenues to conservation purposes. But a Republican-backed legislative plan seeks instead to put up to $6 million toward an addiction treatment program before directing a third of what's left to wildlife habitat, parks and recreational facilities.

After Utah voters passed Medicaid expansion in 2018, conservative lawmakers delayed its full implementation before adding work requirements. In Arizona, Republicans are looking to eliminate about a third of the revenue from a voter-approved tax increase on the wealthy to fund education.

While Florida voters in 2018 overwhelmingly approved a measure allowing most felons to vote once they complete their sentences, the Republican-led Legislature undercut that by requiring them to pay off fines and court costs first.

Missouri's fight over Medicaid expansion isn’t the first time the Legislature and voters have bumped heads over ballot measures in recent years.

Voters in 2018 repealed a law that ended mandatory union dues for non-union members, a longtime goal for Republicans.

That same year — as Republican Josh Hawley defeated Democratic former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and the GOP kept overwhelming control of the Legislature — voters legalized medical marijuana, raised the minimum wage and adopted a redistricting measure opposed by top Republicans.

After the success of primarily Democratic-backed policies at the polls, Republicans have sought to undo them and make it harder for voters to put issues on the ballot.

Several pending bills would increase the cost to file initiative petitions, require petitioners to go to greater lengths to gather signatures, and raise the vote threshold needed to amend the Missouri Constitution.

Burnett said that while recent tensions have primarily involved Republican statehouses and more liberal voters, it's also happened with Democratic-led legislatures. He cited California voters’ 2008 decision to ban same-sex marriage, which was later overturned in court.

"It’s very frustrating for all of those voters who voted for this,” he said. “The whole point of the initiative petition is actually supposed to be to get around the legislature and enact policies that they’re unwilling to do, or maybe they’re too politically toxic.”

___

Associated Press writers Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Mont., and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Summer Ballentine, The Associated Press

KARMA IS A BITCH

Stephen Karanja: Kenyan 

anti-vaccine doctor dies

 from Covid-19

 ANTI ABORTION DR IS ANTI VAXXER

Emmanuel Onyango - BBC News, Nairobi

Sat., May 1, 2021, 12:48 p.m.·3 min read

A Kenyan doctor who became a vociferous opponent of Covid-19 vaccines has succumbed to the virus, weeks after saying the jabs were "totally unnecessary".

Dr Stephen Karanja, chairman of the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association, advocated steam inhalation and hydroxychloroquine tablets.

He clashed with the Catholic church over the safety of Covid jabs.

Health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) rejected his claims.

"[The vaccine] being distributed in Kenya, has been reviewed and found safe not only by the WHO rigorous process but also by several stringent regulatory authorities," the WHO said in March.

• Africa Live: Latest updates from across the continent

• Kenyan nurse: 'I was shunned over coronavirus fears'

• The women fighting South Africa's 'infodemic'

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops also distanced itself from Dr Karanja's view on Covid-19 vaccines, saying the vaccines were "licit and ethically acceptable."

Kenya received just over a million vaccine doses from the global Covax initiative, most of which have been administered.

The country has confirmed more than 160,000 cases and 2,707 deaths. In March, the government imposed another lockdown restricting movement in five counties after a surge in new infections.

What did Dr Karanja say about Covid vaccines?

In a letter dated 3 March Dr Karanja said that "there are drugs that have been repurposed and used effectively to treat Covid-19," adding that "we also know that vaccination for this disease is totally unnecessary making the motivation suspect."

He went on in different forums to advocate alternative treatments, including steam inhalation and a cocktail of drugs - including hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, which have not been approved by the WHO to treat Covid-19.

• Covid-19 and hydroxychloroquine: What do we know?

• The South African debate over Ivermectin

Dr Karanja, who was an obstetrician and gynaecologist, died on Thursday a week after he was admitted to hospital suffering from complications caused by a Covid-19 infection.

What else has Dr Karanja said?

Before falling out with the Catholic church in Kenya about the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine, Dr Karanja often allied with the religious leaders to oppose mass vaccination campaigns.

In 2019 he led opposition against vaccination of schoolgirls against cervical cancer, saying the jab against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) was unnecessary because it affected those "whose lifestyle involves irresponsible sexual behaviours".

In 2014, his association opposed the government's rollout of a tetanus vaccine targeting women, claiming it was a sterilisation campaign, despite local health authorities, the WHO, and the UN children's agency Unicef saying the vaccine was safe.

In both instances the government carried on with its plans, but officials reported that they encountered vaccine hesitancy as a result of the objections raised by Dr Karanja.

He was also a prominent anti-abortion campaigner and appeared in court in 2018 as an expert witness in a case in which the government was sued for withdrawing guidelines on abortion. The high court ruled that the government decision was unlawful and illegal.

Though shunned by a majority of health professionals in Kenya, the Catholic church recognised his association, but often hastened to add that Dr Karanja did not speak for the Catholic church.

"The mandate of the church is to speak on matters of morality and faith. The mandate of the doctors is to speak on their understanding of their scientific practice. We are not at variance," Father Ferdinand Lugonzo, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson, told the BBC.

In Mexico, ancient Maya cave reveals mysterious painted hand prints


Hand prints, reportedly 1,200 years old, are seen on the cave walls, in Merida


By Alberto Fajardo

Sat., May 1, 2021, 

MERIDA (Reuters) - Dozens of black and red hand prints cover the walls of a cave in Mexico, believed to be associated with a coming-of-age ritual of the ancient Maya, according to an archeologist who has explored and studied the subterranean cavern.

The 137 prints, mostly made by the hands of children, are more than 1,200 years old, which would date them near the end of the ancient Maya's classical zenith, when major cities across present-day southern Mexico and Central America thrived amid major human achievements in math and art.

The cave is located near the northern tip of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, where the towering pyramids of urban centers like Uxmal and Chichen Itza still stand, and lies some 33 feet (10 meters) below a large ceiba tree, which the Maya consider sacred.

Archeologist Sergio Grosjean argues that the hand prints were likely made by children as they entered puberty, due to a analysis of their size, with the colors providing a clue to their meaning.

"They imprinted their hands on the walls in black... which symbolized death, but that didn't mean they were going to be killed, but rather death from a ritual perspective," he said.

"Afterwards, these children imprinted their hands in red, which was a reference to war or life," he added.

Other Mayan artifacts found in the cave include a carved face and six painted relief sculptures, which date from between 800-1,000 A.D., a time when severe drought struck the region and may have contributed to the classical Maya's sudden abandonment of major cities.

While the first Mayan settlements date back nearly 4,000 years, there were still large centers when Spanish conquerors arrived in the early 1500s.

Several million Maya continue to live in communities scattered across southeastern Mexican states like Chiapas and Campeche, in addition to Guatemala and Belize.

(Reporting by Alberto Fajardo; Writing by David Alire Garcia; editing by Diane Craft)

UK TORY BUDGET
Children will ‘suffer the consequences’ of UK cutting Unicef funding by 60%

SAM BLEWETT, PA DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR1 May 2021, 




Unicef will have its UK funding cut by around 60%, the United Nations agency said as it warned the world’s most vulnerable children will “suffer the consequences” of the Government’s move.

The UN children’s fund said on Saturday it was “deeply concerned” by the decision as it urged ministers to restore overseas aid funding by the end of the year at the latest.

It is the latest cut to emerge from the Government’s decision to break its manifesto commitment to maintain spending at 0.7% of national income by slashing it to 0.5%.

Facing widespread criticism, Boris Johnson this week insisted spending would increase when it is “fiscally prudent to do so” as he said the coronavirus pandemic means it is necessary to “economise”.

Unicef urged the Prime Minister to reinstate the 0.7% commitment by the end of the year “at the latest” as it revealed funding for the agency this year would reduce to £16 million, down from £40 million.

“Any cuts to these funds will have serious consequences for children,” the agency said in a statement.

“It is too soon to know the full impact that this and future UK funding cuts will have on Unicef programmes. However, we worry that children living in some of the world’s worst crises and conflicts will suffer the consequences.”

Other funding cuts to have trickled out include an 85% reduction to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, which it branded “devastating” for women, girls and their families around the world.

A leaked memo has suggested that the UK will slash bilateral funding for overseas water, sanitation and hygiene projects by more than 80% – a move WaterAid described as “savage”. 

And a report by media outlet Devex said ministers are planning to reduce funding for polio eradication by 95%.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid.

“We will still spend more than £10 billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.

“We are working with suppliers and partners on what this means for individual programmes.”