UK Trade Union Chief Slams 'No Jab, No Job' Policy as 'a Recipe for Disaster'

UK
 31.07.2021
by Oleg Burunov

Earlier this week, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was a "good idea" for companies to insist staff are completely vaccinated, but pledged that legislation would not be passed to make it mandatory.

The British government is under growing pressure to outlaw so-called "no jab, no job" policies by companies, amid reports of possible legal actions against firms' efforts to make sure staff are double-vaccinated.

The government is facing criticism over encouraging the idea of mandatory vaccination for office staff after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described companies' drive to prod staff to be double-jabbed as a "good idea".

The UK professional association Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) was quick to warn that mandatory vaccination would be "an intrusion on an employee's body and may discriminate on the basis of disability, or religious or philosophical belief".

© REUTERS / HENRY NICHOLLS
FILE PHOTO: People queue outside a vaccination centre for young people and students at the Hunter Street Health Centre, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, June 5, 2021

In advice to its over 160,000 members, CIPD insisted that businesses "cannot forcibly vaccinate employees or potential employees" unless the move is legally required. According to the group, people being forced to get vaccinated could amount to a criminal offence against the person and claims of assault and battery.

The organisation was echoed by the British equalities watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which called on companies to avoid applying a blanket "no jab, no job" policy. The watchdog argued that firms' approaches should be "proportionate, non-discriminatory, and make provision for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons".

The UK dispute resolution group - the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service – in turn said that if staff signalled a reluctance to get vaccinated, bosses should heed employees' concerns, show sensitiveness towards personal situations, and be wary of shunning discrimination.
British Trade Unions Up in Arms Against Mandatory Vaccination

The standpoint was supported by Christina McAnea, general secretary of the largest UK trade union Unison, who said "the [COVID-19] vaccine has saved thousands of lives", but that "only with widespread take-up can the virus be defeated".
"Achieving this requires persuasion and encouragement, not compulsion and coercion. Forcing people can only lead to needless confrontation at work and legal cases that could drag on for years. And that's in no one's interest", McAnea warned.

Susan Harris, legal director of the general trade union GMB, for her part, asserted that "the way to increase vaccine take-up among workers is to educate and reassure them". According to her, "bullying workers into taking a vaccine they are unsure about is cruel, unfair, and a recipe for disaster".

© REUTERS / BERESFORD HODGE
People set up a vaccination centre in Greenwich park, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, July 18, 2021

The union Unite slammed any "no jab, no job" demand as "a disgraceful attempt to create a divisive narrative around workers and the vaccine".
Subscribing to the viewpoint was Tory MP Will Wragg who insisted that companies should encourage staff to get vaccinated rather than threaten them. He added that ministers should "stop encouraging this kind of coercion, which will prove deeply damaging to the fabric of society".

Another influential Conservative backbencher Charles Walker said he will "exercise" his "purchasing power to avoid any company that implements such a loathsome policy", adding, "what a sad and pitiful state of affairs".



© REUTERS / MIKE SEGAR

The remarks come after Transport Secretary Shapps told Sky News that even though some companies may require their staff to receive both doses of a COVID vaccine "due to the nature of their business", the government isn't considering passing legislation to this effect.


Shapps comments follow Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab suggesting that it would be "smart" for businesses to insist staff were fully vaccinated, adding he understands firms' drive to take a tough stance on the issue.

The war has changed: CDC calls for new response to Delta Covid-19 variant

The US Centers for Disease Control has said the war against Covid-19 has changed because of the Delta variant, which was recently found to be as contagious as chickenpox.

Reuters

Washington

July 31, 2021


Recommended preventative measures include a return to universal wearing of face masks. (AP photo)

The war against Covid-19 has changed because of the highly contagious Delta variant, the US Centers for Disease Control said, proposing a clearer message, mandatory vaccines for health workers and a return to universal masking.

An internal CDC document said the variant, first detected in India and now dominant across the globe, is as contagious as chickenpox and far more contagious than the common cold or flu. It can be passed on even by vaccinated people, and may cause more serious disease than earlier coronavirus strains.

The document, entitled "Improving communications around vaccine breakthrough and vaccine effectiveness", said the variant required a new approach to help the public understand the danger - including making clear that unvaccinated people were more than 10 times more likely than those who are vaccinated to become seriously ill or die.

"Acknowledge the war has changed," it said. "Improve communications around individual risk among vaccinated."

ALSO READ | Vaccination matters as threat of third Covid-19 wave looms globally

Recommended preventative measures included making vaccines mandatory for health care professionals to protect the vulnerable and a return to universal wearing of face masks.

The CDC confirmed the authenticity of the document, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
T
While vaccinated people were less likely to become infected, once they contracted such "breakthrough infections" from Delta - unlike the case with earlier variants - they might now be just as likely as the unvaccinated to pass the disease on to others.

ALSO READ | US urges vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors in many places

"High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus," CDC head Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

On Friday the CDC released data from a study of an outbreak in Massachusetts in which it said three quarters of those infected had been fully vaccinated. That study played a pivotal roll in a CDC decision this week to again recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, Walensky said.

'VIRUS HAS BECOME FITTER'

The CDC has said that as of July 26, 6,587 people have experienced breakthrough Covid-19 infections after being fully vaccinated and were hospitalized or have died. It stopped reporting on mild infections this spring but in the report, it estimated that there were about 35,000 symptomatic infections each week in the United States.

WATCH | DIU video: US races ahead to occupy top slot again in daily new Covid cases

In parts of the world where large numbers of people have yet to be vaccinated, the Delta variant has led once again to surging death rates and hospitalisations.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said health systems in many countries were now being overwhelmed: "Hard-won gains are in jeopardy or being lost," he told a news conference.

The global health body's top emergency expert Mike Ryan told reporters that vaccines were nevertheless still effective at preventing serious illness and death: "We are fighting the same virus but a virus that has become fitter."

Even in rich countries that were among the first to roll out vaccination campaigns, cases have surged. While vaccines have so far kept death rates lower, large populations remain vulnerable, especially those who refuse vaccines, a particular problem in parts of the United States where voters supported former President Donald Trump. Trump is the only living president not to have participated in public service campaigns encouraging people to take the vaccine.

Nearly a third of US adults have yet to get a first shot. Areas where vaccination rates are low have seen sharp rises in cases in recent weeks, and authorities fear hospitalisations and deaths are not far behind.

ALSO READ | New York to require state employees to get vaccines, or get tested

The top US infectious diseases specialist, Dr Anthony Fauci, told Reuters he expected that vaccines, which so far have received only emergency approval, could begin getting full regulatory approval in August, and that this could help persuade more people to get vaccinated.

In Britain, where the Delta variant caused a sharp surge in infections in recent months despite one of the world's fastest inoculation campaigns, a panel advising the government said protection from vaccines was likely to wane over time, meaning vaccination campaigns would probably last for years.

On Tuesday, the CDC, which had advised vaccinated Americans months ago that they no longer needed to wear masks, reversed course, saying even the fully vaccinated should wear face coverings in situations where the virus was likely to spread.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions.

"The main thing that does change (because of Delta) is that masks will still be used and that in countries where this requirement has been lifted, it will have to be re-introduced," said Carlo Federico Perno, head of microbiology and immunology diagnostics at Rome's Bambino Gesù Hospital.

ALSO READ | UK lifts quarantine for fully vaccinated EU, US travellers

ASIAN COUNTRIES TIGHTEN RESTRICTIONS

Countries in Asia, many of which avoided the worst outcomes that hit Western nations in 2020, have been particularly hard hit in recent weeks. Several announced new restrictions on Friday. From Monday, army personnel will help police Australia's biggest city Sydney, checking that people who have tested positive are isolating.

The Philippines announced a plan to put the Manila capital region, home to more than 13 million people, in lockdown for two weeks.

In Japan, where a surge in cases has overshadowed the Olympic Games, the government proposed states of emergency through the end of August in three prefectures near Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka.

"Infections are broadening. The situation is extremely severe," Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said, warning infections had not yet reached a peak.

Say Hello To The Tokyo Olympic Robots


July 30, 2021
VANESSA ROMO

NPR


A Field Support Robot was used to retrieve rugby balls on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Stadium. Over the weekend, the FSR will help during track and field events.  Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Who's a good boy at the Olympics?

The Field Support Robot is a good boy!

The black and white high-tech contraption made its debut earlier this week as one of a handful of robots designed to streamline the Tokyo Olympic Games. And it can be seen again — essentially playing fetch — during the track and field throwing events over the weekend

The International Olympics Committee says the self-driving robot is able to suss out the "optimal path" to follow when it's chasing after hammers, javelins and all manner of objects thrown by athletes.

"This will help reduce both the amount of time needed to retrieve items and the amount of human support required at events," the IOC explained.


Toyota Motor Corp. designed mascot robots Miraitowa and Someity to help welcome visitors to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Other robots that have been designed and put to work in a partnership between the Games organizers and Toyota include Miraitowa and Someity. The blue and pink cartoon-looking robots are the official Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics mascots.

They were intended to serve as futuristic ambassadors to the public, as welcoming hosts who shake hands and wave, but that part of their job has been severely diminished during the spectator-free events.

Similarly, human and delivery support robots, which look like a fancier and taller Wall-e, were developed to make the Games more comfortable. They are providing assistance to spectators in wheelchairs at the Olympic Stadium by carrying food and other items, guiding people to their seats, and providing event information.

"The Tokyo 2020 Games are a unique opportunity for us to display Japanese robot technology," said Hirohisa Hirukawa, leader of the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project.

He added that the project will showcase the practical and real-life benefits of such machines.

Pegasus Spyware: UN Urges Better Regulation of Surveillance Technology


The UN voiced alarm Monday at reports that several governments used Israeli phone malware to spy on activists, journalists and others, stressing the urgent need for better regulation of surveillance technology.

July 30, 2021 by Pressenza 


By Countercurrents  Countercurrents Collective

Media reports said:

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the apparent widespread use of Pegasus spy software to illegally undermine the rights of those under surveillance, including journalists and politicians, was “extremely alarming” and confirmed “some of the worst fears” surrounding the potential misuse of such technologies.


The reports about the Pegasus spyware “confirm the urgent need to better regulate the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology and ensure strict oversight and authorization,” UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.


A consortium of collaborative investigation by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde and other media outlets revealed potentially far more extensive spying than previously thought using the malware from Israel’s NSO Group, capable of switching on a phone’s camera or microphone and harvesting its data.

The use of the ‘Pegasus’ malware to snoop on the phone communications of politicians, journalists, activists and business figures was revealed by French outlet Forbidden Stories and the human rights group Amnesty International. These NGOs obtained a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers, some of which were allegedly breached by the Pegasus malware, and shared the data with 17 media outlets. Le Monde was one of these outlets, which began publishing stories of the security breaches on Sunday.


Amnesty’s Security Lab conducted a forensic analysis of some of the phones on the list, which was peer-reviewed by Citizen Lab, a group at Toronto University that has been tracking suspected cases of Pegasus infections for years. Of the 67 smartphones analyzed, evidence of successful infection was found on 23 and evidence of attempted infiltration on 14.

A source told investigators that the average number of targets per customer was 112 and that the company had 45 customers for its Pegasus spyware, corroborating the NSO Group’s assessment of the 50,000 figure. Some numbers were landlines that could not be infected by Pegasus at all.

Bachelet described the revelations as “extremely alarming.”

She added that they “seem to confirm some of the worst fears about the potential misuse of surveillance technology.”

She recalled that the UN had repeatedly flagged the dangers of authorities using surveillance tools to hack phones and computers of those legitimate journalists, activists and political opponents in the name of public safety.


“Use of surveillance software has been linked to arrest, intimidation and even killings of journalists and human rights defenders,” she added.

She also warned that broad use of such technologies could lead to self-censorship.

The UN human rights chief said surveillance measures can only be justified “in narrowly defined circumstances, with a legitimate goal” such as “investigations into serious crimes and grave security threats.”

“If the recent allegations about the use of Pegasus are even partly true, then that red line has been crossed again and again with total impunity.”


Bachelet said companies involved in developing and distributing surveillance technologies should ensure their technologies are not used to violate human rights.


She said that states should halt surveillance that violates human rights and protect individuals from companies abusing their right to privacy, including by regulating spying technology.

“Various parts of the UN Human Rights system, including my own Office, have repeatedly raised serious concerns about the dangers of authorities using surveillance tools from a variety of sources supposed to promote public safety in order to hack the phones and computers of people conducting legitimate journalistic activities, monitoring human rights or expressing dissent or political opposition”, said High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet in a statement.

The Pegasus malware infects electronic devices, enabling operators of the tool to obtain messages, photos and emails, record calls, and even activate microphones, according to the investigative report by the media consortium. The leak contains a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers which reportedly belong to those identified as people of interest, by clients of the company behind Pegasus, including some governments.

“Journalists and human rights defenders play an indispensable role in our societies, and when they are silenced, we all suffer”, she said.

Given that Pegasus spyware, “as well as that created by Candiru and others, enable extremely deep intrusions into people’s devices, resulting in insights into all aspects of their lives”, the UN rights chief underscored, “their use can only ever be justified in the context of investigations into serious crimes and grave security threats.”


Companies developing and distributing surveillance technologies are responsible for avoiding human rights abuses, she said, and they must take immediate steps to mitigate and remedy the damage their products are causing, or contributing to, and carry out “human rights due diligence” to ensure that they no longer play a part in “such disastrous consequences” now, or in the future.

States also have a duty to protect individuals from privacy rights abuses by companies, she added.

One key step in this direction is for States to require by law that the businesses meet their human rights responsibilities by becoming more transparent in their design and use of products and by putting in place effective accountability mechanisms.

Governments should not only immediately stop using surveillance technologies in ways that violate human rights, but also “take concrete actions” to protect against such invasions of privacy by “regulating the distribution, use and export of surveillance technology created by others”, the High Commissioner said.

Without human rights-compliant regulatory frameworks, Ms. Bachelet upheld that there are “simply too many risks” that the tools could be used to intimidate critics and silence dissent.

Morocco Spied on French President Macron with ‘Pegasus’

The Moroccan government used Israeli malware to spy on French President Emmanuel Macron’s phone calls, Le Monde has reported. More than a dozen other French politicians were reportedly targeted in a scheme denied by Morocco.

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Hours after Paris prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations that Morocco’s intelligence agencies used Israeli malware to hack the phones of several French journalists, Le Monde reported that Macron was also targeted by Rabat’s agents in 2019, along with former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and 14 other ministers.

“If the facts are true, they are obviously very serious,” Macron’s office told Le Monde on Tuesday, promising that “all light will be shed on these revelations.”

On Monday, the Moroccan government denied any use of the Israeli spyware, calling the accusations by Le Monde and others “unfounded and false.”

Morocco “never acquired computer software to infiltrate communication devices,” read a statement from the government, which denied that it had “infiltrated the phones of several national and international public figures and heads of international organizations through computer software.”

Macron is not the only high-level political figure allegedly surveilled. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was reportedly spied on by the administration of his predecessor, President Enrique Peña Nieto.

According to media reports, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also potentially used Pegasus to spy on a political opponent, as did Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Paris prosecutor’s probe will consider 10 possible charges, including potential breaches of personal privacy and fraudulent access to personal electronic devices.

The surveillance-revelation was followed by a legal complaint filed by French outlet Mediapart, which claimed that Morocco’s secret services used Pegasus to spy on two of its reporters.

Another French outlet, Le Canard enchaine, is reportedly preparing to follow suit with similar allegations.

A leaked list of alleged Pegasus targets included 50,000 telephone numbers belonging to journalists, businessmen, NGO workers, religious leaders and even presidents and prime ministers. Dating back to 2016, the list was reportedly compiled from requests from NSO clients in 10 countries: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hungary has also denied the claims, and NSO said that the alleged leak has been mischaracterized by media reports.

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France is not alone in seeking answers about the purported spying scandal. Indian lawmakers on Tuesday called for a parliamentary investigation into the government’s alleged use of Pegasus.

Amazon Cuts Business Ties with NSO Group

Amazon has pulled the plug on infrastructure and other services that it offered to Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, following allegations that the company’s spyware was being used to snoop on journalists and activists.

The tech and retail giant announced on Monday that it had deactivated cloud computing accounts linked to NSO Group. The Israeli company reportedly used Amazon Web Services (AWS) to operate the spyware programs that it marketed to governments around the world. The move comes after Amnesty International’s Security Lab conducted a forensic analysis of telephones on a leaked list of targets for NSO’s flagship malware, Pegasus.

NSO Group disputed that AWS had shut down its accounts, prompting Amazon to double down.

Amnesty also claimed that NSO’s malware sent information “to a service fronted by Amazon CloudFront, suggesting NSO Group has switched to using AWS services in recent months.”

Citizen Lab said in a peer review of Amnesty’s finding that it had “independently observed NSO Group begin to make extensive use of Amazon services including CloudFront in 2021.”

CloudFront is an Amazon service that allows clients to securely deliver data using high transfer speeds.

While Amazon rushed to cut ties with NSO, it was less proactive when media reports revealed in May 2020 that the Israeli firm may have used Amazon infrastructure to deliver malware to unsuspecting victims. At the time, the company failed to respond to a request for comment asking if NSO had breached Amazon’s terms of service.

Journalists, ministers, Khashoggi’s son and a ruler’s family possible targets for Pegasus

Among the people presumed to be selected for digital surveillance are “hundreds of business executives, religious figures, academics, NGO officials, union officials and government officials, including cabinet ministers, presidents and prime ministers,” The Guardian reported. It also includes “close families members of one country’s rulers, suggesting the ruler may have instructed their intelligence agencies to explore the possibility of monitoring their own relatives.”

The Israeli firm rejected that its malware was in any way implicated in the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a self-exiled columnist for the Washington Post, who was killed at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 in what many believe was a government-sponsored murder. Riyadh blamed it on a rogue group of security agents, who were tried and sentenced for the killing. The phone of Khashoggi’s fiancee was penetrated by Pegasus just four days before his death, while the phones of his son, other family members, friends, and coworkers were found on the presumed list of targets, the investigators said.

NSO Group said that its “technology was not associated in any way with the heinous murder” of Khashoggi and was not used to “listen, monitor, track, or collect information regarding him or his family members” mentioned in an inquiry sent to the company.

Clients in Mexico selected the most numbers – more than 15,000 – followed by Morocco and the UAE, each with more than 10,000 numbers.

The investigators promised a number of publications based on their analysis to be released in the coming weeks. On Sunday, The Guardian also printed a look at journalists on the list, an expose of alleged use of Pegasus by the Hungarian government, and a story about Mexican investigative journalist Cecilio Pineda Birto.

Birto’s March 2017 murder was long alleged to be linked to a Pegasus surveillance operation. His phone number was also among the presumed hacking targets. The software location-tracking features may have helped his killers to find him, investigators suspect.

—

Previously Published on pressenza

CYBERSECURITY

Are you reading this on a personal device? Yes, you’re the problem

Robert Scammell

30th July 2021 

It only takes one mistake for a cyberattacker to gain access to an organisation. Yet four out of five employees have admitted to engaging in risky cyber behaviour that increases the risk of a breach, according to a survey conducted by cybsersecurity company ThycoticCentrify.

The global survey of 8,000 employees found 79% of employees had engaged in at least one risky IT practice in the last year, such as reusing a password across multiple services.


The most common risky cyber behaviour (35%) was saving passwords in the autofill box of their internet browsers on all their devices, instead of using a password manager. It means that an attacker compromising one device will then be able to gain access to multiple services.

“If the employee has saved multiple passwords within the internet browser, the attacker can readily see whether they are all the same or simple variations such as one character difference,” the report notes. “With this information, they can use password cracking tools and wordlists to create all possible combinations of an employee’s password choices.”

Recent high-profile hacks against SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline both stemmed from a single compromised password and went on to cause tens of millions of dollars in damage.

The next most common behaviour was connecting to public Wi-Fi networks, which 32% of employees admitted to doing.


The mass shift to remote working caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has often blurred the lines between home and work life. This has created headaches for security professionals who have had to protect organisations out of the more controllable confines of the office. One of the main threats is the use of personal devices to conduct work, a behaviour that 23% of respondents admitted to doing.


Among the least likely mistakes to be made were accessing the dark web or adult content (11%) and allowing family members to use company devices (11%).

Of those surveyed some 1,000 were based in each of the UK, US and Germany.


Despite admitting to making cybersecurity faux pas, the majority – 86% – of employees agreed that they have a personal responsibility to keep their organisation safe from cyber threats.

Less than half (44%) of respondents said they have received cybersecurity training in the past year, a figure that decreases among small and midsize businesses.

“We’d urge employers to redouble efforts to encourage the best possible digital security practices in staff and remind them of the risks of failing to secure networks,” said Joseph Carson, chief security scientist and advisory CISO at ThycoticCentrify.

“A ransomware attack or major breach has major consequences which can last for years, so every organisation needs to establish security processes and work to ensure they resonate with employees.”

 

Sikh community demands answers 

after FBI says Indianapolis FedEx 

shooting NOT a hate crime

Carl Samson

8 seconds ago

A shooting that killed eight victims including four Sikh Americans at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis in April was not motivated by hate, the FBI and local authorities announced on Wednesday.

Investigation results: After going through 120 interviews and 150 pieces of evidence, investigators found no evidence that the suspect Brandon Scott Hole committed his crimes “to address perceived injustices or to advance an ideology.” Instead, they concluded that the 19-year-old — who killed himself after murdering his victims — performed “an act of suicidal murder,” according to the Indianapolis Star.

• The shooting, which Hole had planned for at least nine months, occurred at the FedEx Ground Facility on Maribel Road on April 15. The Sikh victims were Jaswinder Singh, 70; Amarjeet Kaur Johal, 66; Jasvinder Kaur, 50; and Amarjit Sekhon, 49.
• Hole had World War II, Nazi and white supremacist content on his computer, but those accounted for a small fraction of 175,000 files that authorities found, according to NBC News. “There was no indication that there was any animosity towards the Sikh community, or any other group for that matter,” Paul Keenan, the Indianapolis FBI special agent in charge, told reporters on Wednesday.
• Hole, who had multiple suicide attempts in the past, thought of killing himself almost every day, authorities said. Last year, his own family reported him for planning to commit “suicide by cop.”
• Others killed in the shooting were John Weisert, 74; Matthew Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; and Karli Smith, 19. Five more people were reportedly injured and rushed to a hospital.

Brandon Scott Hole. Image via Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department

Demand for answers: Hole launched his attack at a facility where most of the workers are Sikh. This leaves the religious community scrambling for answers after Wednesday’s decision.

• “While we recognize that it is impossible to know exactly what was in the shooter’s mind, we are disappointed that the IMPD (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department) and FBI still have not detailed how they ruled out bias as a possible motive in their accounting of the investigation,” said Amrith Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights organization. “The shooter chose a place known for hiring people of color, specifically a Punjabi Sikh-majority, for his attack; we don’t know why he chose this location, but we now know the attack was planned at least nine months in advance.”
• FedEx has reportedly become a household name among Sikhs in Indianapolis for being a reliable source of employment. One of the Sikh victims, Jaswinder Singh, decided to work at the facility so he can be part of its community, his family said.
• Indianapolis police chief Randal Taylor described the shooting as an attack on “Indianapolis residents” who were just trying to do their jobs. “[They were] trying to provide for their families, trying to do what they felt was right, and had the right to do when their lives were so tragically cut short,” he told reporters.
• The Sikh Coalition reiterated that they are not dismissing the role of mental health issues in the shooting. However, they believe the IMPD and FBI “could have provided more information about how and why they ruled bias out.”

Hole himself was a former employee of FedEx. After the shooting, his family apologized to his victims’ families:

“We are devastated at the loss of life caused as a result of Brandon’s actions; through the love of his family, we tried to get him the help he needed. Our sincerest and most heartfelt apologies go out to the victims of this senseless tragedy. We are so sorry for the pain and hurt being felt by their families and the entire Indianapolis community.”

Featured Image Screenshot via WRTV Indianapolis

NOAA scientists find real-life SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star in Atlantic Ocean

He lives in a pineapple under the sea.

By Christian Spencer | July 29, 2021

Story at a glance:
Divers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration saw a yellow sea sponge and a pink sea star resembling SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star.

Specifically, the sea critters are a Hertwigia sponge and Chondraster starfish.

Starfish are carnivores, and they eat sponges in real life.

Marine scientists might have found the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, swimming upon a real-life version of SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star.

Divers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the Retriever Seamount in the Atlantic Ocean, just 200 miles away from New York, spotted a yellow sea sponge and a pink sea star, resembling the iconic Nickelodeon due, The New York Post reported.

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Excited about his discovery, scientist Christopher Mah shared the picture on Twitter: “I normally avoid these refs… but WOW. REAL LIFE SpongeBob and Patrick!”

“‘I thought it would be funny to make the comparison, which for once was actually kind of comparable to the iconic images/colors of the cartoon characters,” Mah added.

The team of researchers from the NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer ship was observing the seamount aboard remotely using an operated vehicles (ROVs) when they spotted the Hertwigia sponge and Chondraster starfish.

While he said the comparison was fun, Mah did point out the real-life depictions of Spongbob and Patrick are vastly different than their cartoon version.

“As a biologist who specializes in sea stars, most depictions of Patrick and Spongebob are incorrect,” he added.

Sea sponges are either asexual or sexual, and their reproduction stems from their bodys fragmentation, according to Our Marine Species.

Starfishes are carnivores, and they eat sponge, crabs, clams, oysters and coral.

9/11 first responders with high exposure to dust at increased liver disease risk



First responders to New York City's World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks show increased signs of liver damage, according to new research. File photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License Photo

July 30 (UPI) -- First responders who arrived at the World Trade Center immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were more likely to develop liver disease than those who later worked at the site during rescue and recovery efforts, a study published Friday by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found.

Among emergency workers who arrived at the site in lower Manhattan in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, 17% showed signs of liver damage, the data showed.

That percentage fell to 16% for those who reported for rescue and recovery efforts on Sept. 12 or 13 and then to 11% for among emergency workers at the site from Sept. 14 to 30.

The liver damage seen in these workers increased their risk for toxicant‐associated fatty liver disease, which in turn often leads to liver failure or liver cancer, according to the researchers.

RELATED Body's natural chemicals may have protected some 9/11 responders, study says

"This new study suggests that responders who arrived at Ground Zero earlier should receive enhanced monitoring for liver disease," study co-author Artit Jirapatnakul said in a press release.

"Now that we have this link, the next step is to understand why or how the toxic dust actually causes liver damage," said Jirapatnakul, an assistant professor of diagnostic, molecular and interventional radiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, which monitors these responders as part of a federal World Trade Center Health Program.

The liver is vulnerable to damage from chemical exposures due to its role in detoxifying foreign substances that enter the body.

RELATED World Trade Center dust linked to prostate cancer in 9/11 responders

The liver damage seen in this study, called hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease, is associated with chemical exposures, the researchers said.

It occurs when the liver contains abnormally high levels of fat, they said.

After the 2001 attacks, more than 20,000 responders were exposed to dust, airborne particulates and chemicals known to cause liver toxicity, increasing their risk for toxicant-associated fatty liver disease.

RELATED Many Ground Zero rescue workers battling cancer years later

Researchers discovered the liver disease by analyzing chest commuted tomography, or CT, scans of the lungs of 1,788 World Trade Center responders.

While the scans were given to monitor the responders for lung disease, an algorithm developed by the researchers found evidence of liver disease in the portion of the liver visible in the scans, the researchers said.

The algorithm found evidence of hepatic steatosis in just over 14% of the responders.

Responders who arrived earlier, within about two weeks of the attack, had a higher exposure to the toxic dust at the World Trade Center site and more evidence of liver disease in their scans.

Responders with evidence of liver damage are being evaluated for possible referral to liver specialists for diagnosis and treatment, according to the researchers.

"Our study showed that continued monitoring for liver disease is warranted in World Trade Center responders, such as law enforcement, fire, and recovery workers in any field at the site, particularly those who arrived at or shortly after the attacks and had a higher exposure to the toxic dust," study co-author Dr. Claudia Henschke said in a press release.

"At the moment, there are no protocols to monitor responders for liver disease, so this study points to the need to further study this issue in this at-risk population," said Henschke a professor of diagnostic, molecular and interventional radiology at Mount Sinai.

 

Tesla's Giant Australian Battery Bursts Into Flames

By Charles Kennedy - Jul 30, 2021, 9:30 AM CDT

The giant Tesla lithium-ion battery that French Neoen is building in the Australian province of Victoria is burning, according to the fire and rescue service of the province.

"A 13 tonne lithium battery in a shipping container is fully involved with crews wearing breathing apparatus working to contain the fire and stop it spreading to nearby batteries," Fire and Rescue Victoria reported earlier today, adding that there was no threat to local residents or drivers despite the release of smoke at the sight.

The battery installation, with a capacity of 300 MW/450 MWh, is due to be completed later this year and is expected to provide about half of the storage capacity Victoria needs to replace the Lorne power plant, which is due for retirement. The megabattery was also planned to reduce electricity bills for Victorians and increase grid reliability.

"By securing one of the biggest batteries in the world, Victoria is taking a decisive step away from coal-fired power and embracing new technologies that will unlock more renewable energy than ever before," Victoria environment minister Lily D'Ambrosio said last November when the project was made public.

Currently, firefighters are on site trying to contain the fire to the container where it first started, 7NEWS Melbourne reported. Other Australian media noted that the battery installation had been approved for partial operation earlier this month. The companies involved in the project—Tesla and French Neoen—have not responded to media requests for comment on the cause of the fire.

This is the second megabattery that Tesla is building in Australia.

The first one, in South Australia, has a capacity of 100 MW/129 MWh and, according to Tesla's Elon Musk, is able to supply some 30,000 households with power from a local wind farm and reduce the risk of blackouts. The installation, Musk said three years ago, would "manage summertime peak load to improve the reliability of South Australia's electrical infrastructure."

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

Tesla’s Battery Fire Actually Shows It Is More Than an EV Company

Al Root  

July 30, 2021 

Tesla Powerpack batteries at Hornsdale Wind Farm in Adelaide, Australia.Mark Brake/Getty Images

Electric-vehicle pioneer Tesla appears to have suffered a setback in another one of its businesses. A fire has been reported at one of Tesla’s stationary power projects in Australia.

This setback, however, is also a reminder that Tesla’s ambitions stretch well beyond cars.

A Tesla (ticker: TSLA) megapack—which is essentially a huge collection of rechargeable batteries for utility-scale power storage—caught fire in Australia at a projected called the Victorian Big Battery, Reuters reported. The battery can store 450 megawatt hours of energy—that’s like 4,500 Tesla vehicles connected together.

A battery facility of that size can power, perhaps, 150,000 homes for a year. That estimate, of course, depends on a few factors—such as average household consumption.

Tesla and Neoen (NEOEN.France), the French utility that manages the reserve, weren’t immediately available to comment about the fire.

Tesla stock isn’t taking a hit. Stationary power news doesn’t seem to move the stock all that much. Shares are up 2% in midday trading. The S&P 500 is off about 0.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has shed 0.4%. Tesla stock is building on gains from earlier in the week, after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter numbers Monday evening. Tesla shares have gained about 7.4% for the week so far.

Stock in Neoen was up about 0.6% in overseas trading Friday.

Tesla and Neoen have other projects in Australia, such as the Hornsdale Power Reserve. The reserve stores power from the Hornsdale Wind Farm. Adding battery storage to renewable power generation—such as wind and solar—can make renewable resources part of baseload generating capacity.

For now, Neoen calls Hornsdale the largest storage battery reserve in the world. The Victorian Big Battery is still under construction. The first stage of the Hornsdale project is a 100-megawatt battery pack. The second phase of the project is another 50-megawatt battery pack.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly spoken about the importance and opportunity for his company in the stationary power market, even if Tesla vehicles still grab the headlines. A 2015 Tesla shareholder letter called the total addressable market for stationary storage products “enormous and much easier to scale globally than vehicle sales.”

A the company’s battery technology day in September 2020, Musk said: “Less than 0.1% of [potential] stationary storage has been done…stationary storage has barely begun, converting the global vehicle fleet to electric has barely begun.” Tesla has a lot of opportunity for growth in stationary power.

And this past week, on the company’s earnings conference call, Musk added again that “we have a significant unmet demand in stationary storage.” One of the things holding the company back on this front is battery supply. For now, Tesla is prioritizing building cars instead of stationary battery packs.

Still, the stationary storage business is growing: Tesla deployed 1,274 megawatt hours of storage in the second quarter of 2021, up from 419 megawatt hours deployed in the second quarter of 2020.

Sales in the Energy Generation and Storage division—how Tesla reports its stationary power business—amounted to $653 million in the second quarter, up from $225 million from a year earlier. But, companywide, total Tesla sales amounted to almost $12 billion in the second quarter of 2021.

Storage is a small slice of the overall pie—for now.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
British military launches its own Space Command with official opening


The military emblem for Britain's new Space Command was presented to personnel, as the military agency was launched on Friday. Photo courtesy of RAF Flyingdales/Twitter

July 30 (UPI) -- Britain established its Space Command on Friday in a ceremonial opening, with responsibilities split between three specific groups to form a joint space command, Britain's Ministry of Defense announced on Friday.

The British military budget includes $1.95 billion, over 10 years, for space capabilities, part of a defense budget increase of $33.34 billion in the next four years.

Officially called the "U.K. Space Command," the new agency will immediately take command and control of the country's Space Operations Center, its SKYNET military communications center and the ballistic early warning radar station at RAF Flyingdales in northeastern England.

"Under the leadership of Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey, the Joint Command will have oversight of all space capability development in the Ministry of Defense across three main areas; space operations; space workforce training and growth; and space capability to develop and deliver space equipment programmers," a Defense Ministry statement on Friday said.

British leaders met for the opening of the Space Command headquarters at the Royal Air Force Base in High Wycombe, near London, on Friday.

They awarded "Space Operator" badges, with a new Space Command emblem, to eight members of the headquarters personnel.

"As our adversaries advance their space capabilities, it is vital we invest in space to ensure we maintain a battle-winning advantage across this fast-evolving operational domain," Defense Minister for Procurement Jeremy Quin said in the ministry's statement.

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"The stand-up of Space Command is an exciting and important step in our commitment to operate in space effectively," Quin said.

The United States launched its Space Force as a separate military branch in 2019, charging it with a broad mission to organize, train and equip space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space.

On July 13, of this year, Germany opened its own space command center at the Center for Air Operations in Uedem, near the Dutch border.