Manchin said he cut a last-minute deal on Biden agenda since Democrats might lose big in the November midterms
Joseph Zeballos-Roig
Jul 28, 2022,

Sen. Joe Manchin listens to President Joe Biden's first State of the Union.

 J. Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images

Manchin said he cut a last-minute deal on Biden's agenda since Dems might lose control of Congress in November.

"We don't know what the future will bring," he told Politico.

Democrats are racing to send the $740 billion bill to Biden's desk within two weeks.

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia opened up about his reasons for cutting a deal now to revive the Democratic agenda. The party might lose one or both chambers of Congress in the November midterms, which would deal a fatal blow to their domestic ambitions for the final two years of President Joe Biden's term.

"In any other environment [than] what we have right now, this would be a bipartisan bill. I really believe that. This is the only vehicle I have to work with right now," Manchin told Politico on Wednesday. "We don't know what the future will bring. But all indications, might be a little bit of a shake-up. And that changes the dynamics of getting something done."

The conservative Democrat on Thursday claimed ownership of the $740 billion spending deal that was revealed in a stunning announcement a day earlier. Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck an agreement on a broad healthcare, climate, and tax package that was bigger than many Democrats thought possible only two weeks ago when prior negotiations apparently collapsed.

The pair agreed to extend financial assistance for Americans to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act for three years. It also included $370 billion for climate programs and set aside $300 billion to reduce the federal deficit.

"This is not a Democrat bill. It's not a Republican bill. This is an American bill," he told reporters in a press call on Thursday. He argued the package would make significant headway on denting inflation amid heightening fears of an economic slowdown.

Democrats hope to pass the bill in the 50-50 Senate next week, though a spate of COVID infections is threatening to upend that timeline. They're using budget reconciliation to approve it with a simple majority in the upper chamber, using a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris to skirt GOP resistance.

Most Democrats quickly threw their support behind the agreement, but there was one notable holdout: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Her spokesperson said in a statement that Sinema needed more time to review the legislation and wanted a top Senate official to ensure the bill complies with the strict rules of reconciliation.

Democrats are now racing to send the bill to Biden's desk within the next two weeks.

Referring to the deal's healthcare and climate initiatives, Schumer told Democratic senators, "we now have the opportunity to get those two hugely important priorities passed before the August recess," in a private caucus meeting on Thursday morning, per a Democrat in the room. "We will need to be disciplined in our messaging and focus. It will be hard. But I believe we can get this done."

Manchin Spending Deal Includes Billions in Taxes on Oil Sector

Joe Manchin

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

By Ari Natter
July 31, 2022 

The climate and tax spending deal announced last week by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin could cost the oil industry $25 billion in new taxes.

The legislation, which may get a Senate vote as soon as next week, would reinstate and increase a long-lapsed tax on crude and imported petroleum products to 16.4 cents per gallon, according to a summary of the plan released Sunday by the Senate’s tax-writing committee.

A similar proposal, included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act, would have raised nearly $25 billion over a 10-year period, according to a congressional estimate.

The Superfund tax, which previously stood at 9.7 cents per barrel until it lapsed at the end of 1995, is paid by refiners and other importers to help fund the clean-up of hazardous waste sites. In addition to increasing the tax, the Senate proposal would index the fee to inflation.

The 725-page bill released last week would also impose other costs for the oil and gas industry. It places a new first-time fee on methane emissions rising to as much as $1,500 a ton and increases the royalty rate companies pay to the government for oil and gas produced on federal land.

The legislation, which includes some $370 billion in spending to help fight climate change, also has benefits for the oil and gas sector such as requiring more lease sales on federal land.

It remains to be seen whether the legislation will be backed by the full Democratic caucus in the 50-50 Senate. It would also have to pass the House, where progressives sought a much more expansive plan.

— With assistance by Erik Wasson

Brazilian city's homeless get incentive for going to shelter: Beds for their pets
JULY 31, 2022PUBLISHED AT 8:37 PM

A homeless man embraces his dog while resting in a shelter as low temperatures hit the streets, in Canoas, Brazil, on July 26, 2022.

CANOAS, Brazil - A small city in southern Brazil has found a way to attract more homeless people to one of its shelters on chilly winter nights: They now also take in people's pets.

Canoas -- a city with an estimated population of 348,000 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul -- came to the realization that many people living on the streets avoided staying at the city's 14 shelters during the Southern Hemisphere winter now taking place because their pets were not welcome, said the city's animal welfare special secretary, Fabiane Tomazi Borba.More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.

"Many times, they prefer not to stay in a shelter, so as not to abandon their pets," the animal care specialist said.

Homeless people and their pets can now sleep under a roof and find shelter from the low temperatures at the La Salle Sao Paulo school facilities, which can house up to 150 people per day.

Machado de Lima has been sleeping at the shelter with his dogs.

Homeless people sit inside a bus with their pets as they wait for transfer to a shelter during low temperatures in Canoas, Brazil, on July 26, 2022.
PHOTO: Reuters

"If I couldn't stay at the shelter, I would take them (dogs) to sleep with me. They sleep with me in the street," he said.

Homeless people receive an amenity kit containing items like soap, towels, toothbrush and toothpaste, and are provided with breakfast and dinner. Their pets receive a veterinary checkup.

Animal care specialist Borba said pets are checked for parasites, vaccinated and castrated or spayed.

"They can live here with their parents, sleep warm, healthily and with the guarantee that they will not transmit any illness. So the perspective is to care for humans, but, also, for pets," she said.

Source: Reuters

From Singapore to Hong Kong and Japan, is a 4-day work week a pipe dream for Asia?

JULY 31, 2022

By AISYAH LLEWELLYN

People wearing face masks cross a road amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Singapore, on May 14, 2021.

Reuters

New World Development, one of Hong Kong's largest employers, recently introduced a four-and-a-half day work week to support workers to "maintain a healthy work-life balance", making it the first major property developer in the city to reduce working hours without cutting pay.

South Korean tech firm Kakao, which has more than 10,000 employees, is planning a pilot programme for flexible and shorter working hours, while in Japan, Hitachi has introduced a system for some 15,000 workers to organise their schedules into a four-day work week.More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.

These are just some recent workplace initiatives being rolled out across Asia, as more companies worldwide seek to improve their employees' well-being and relook at what productivity means in the modern workplace.

But in a region notorious for working the longest hours in the world, some critics say such schemes are not likely to reap their intended benefits without governments and employers first addressing the factors behind such an entrenched work culture, and enacting more labour protection.

Anis Hidayah, head of Migrant Care, an Indonesian NGO promoting the rights of migrant workers, said the benefits of a four-day work week depended very much on its implementation and whether workers were expected to achieve the same output in less time.

"How this will affect workers and whether it will increase or decrease productivity is very important," she said, adding that while the idea was good in practice, it may be difficult to roll out across all forms of employment.

"Across many sectors, workers already work more than eight hours per day, especially in Southeast Asia in countries like Malaysia and Singapore," she noted. "Perhaps in sectors such as in factories, a four-day work week will be feasible, but I'm not sure about other [roles] such as domestic workers."

It doesn't help when long work hours are enshrined into law. In South Korea, it is legal for employers to make staff work 52 hours a week - a number reduced from 68 hours in 2018. In Malaysia, a working week should consist of 48 hours, but the reality is very different, activists say.

"Definitely a four-day work week will help workers to have some work-life balance," said Sivaranjani Manickam, head of the Workers Bureau at the Socialist Party of Malaysia

.

In Malaysia, many people face pressure to work overtime.
PHOTO: Reuters

"Currently though, the law in Malaysia states that working hours means eight hours per day and 48 hours per week, but in reality, many workers are working 12 hours a day and 84 hours per week," she said. "So can a four-day work week really work in reality?"

Manickam added that people risked losing their jobs if they rejected overtime work. "The trend is, you only get employed if you are ready to work 12 hours per day. This is the situation in Malaysia."

A survey of 6,000 workers across Southeast Asia by Milieu Insight in February indicated that a majority would welcome a shorter work week.

About two-thirds (67 per cent) of respondents - who came from Singapore, Thailandm Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia - said a shorter work week would grant them greater work-life balance, while 64 per cent said they would have more time to spend with loved ones.

Almost half (48 per cent) said they would have more time to be creative and generate ideas, while 45 per cent said it would increase their productivity.

But some Asian professionals who have had experience working in Western workplaces and in high-intensity regional hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore say they are sceptical about the feasibility of a shortened work week without a sea change in attitudes towards labour rights.

Singaporean Adrianna Tan, a director of product management in San Francisco, said workers in the United States had more sense of their rights than those in Asia.


Read Also Belgium permits 4-day week to boost work flexibility post Covid-19

"The US is not a worker's paradise, and certainly nowhere as developed as workers' rights in Northern Europe, but it's still better than what I experienced working in Singapore," she said.

Tan observed that workers in the US had better knowledge of labour policies and they valued work-life balance more deeply than those in Singapore. Unions, which Tan had no experience in Singapore, were also stronger and more common in American work culture.

Still, the needle has begun to shift for some workers, especially since the rise of remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed companies to explore flexible modes of working.

PropertyGuru Group in Southeast Asia, which has more than 1,600 employees from 30 nationalities, last year rolled out its 'Future of work' programme in Malaysia and Singapore that allowed employees to work in a hybrid environment and choose their working hours. It will expand the scheme across its other Southeast Asian offices once each country has relaxed its coronavirus measures.

The programme also offers options such as a 'Compressed Work Week' that lets workers choose between working four days a week or nine days in a fortnight. Employees can work full hours over fewer days with no difference in pay, in accordance with their role requirements and in consultation with their managers. There is also a 'Part-Time Work' scheme that allows employees to work fewer days and hours during the week for prorated pay.

Lauren Huntington, Employee Experience Solution Strategist - Southeast Asia, at the US software firm Qualtrics, said employers ultimately needed to realise that "what employees really want and have come accustomed to is the flexibility to adjust their work schedules to fit the demands of their lives".

"Increasingly, we're seeing people make career decisions and finding fulfilment in their jobs by working for organisations that truly understand and respond to their needs, and where they feel they belong," Huntington was quoted as saying in a report accompanying Qualtric's survey of Singaporean attitudes towards a four-day work week.

The online poll of over 1,000 workers showed that 64 per cent of full-time employees in Singapore would prefer having flexibility in the workplace, much higher than 36 per cent who prefer having one less day to work.

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.

1932

Flexi-work becoming more common in S'pore despite shift to living with Covid-19

The broader adoption of hybrid work arrangements here mirrors

 the shifts seen globally. PHOTO: ST FILE

Choo Yun Ting
Business Correspondent

SINGAPORE - Flexible work arrangements have become more common among organisations in Singapore despite the country's transition to living with Covid-19.

Many employers have chosen to continue riding the work-from-home momentum, allowing staff to operate remotely for part of the week.

All employees here have been able to return to the workplace since April 26, alongside the easing of other Covid-19 measures, including group size limits.

Aside from large corporates, the public service has also been a leader in adopting flexible workplace arrangements, with the likes of the Auditor-General's Office and the Government Technology Agency allowing employees to work from home some days of the week.

While flexible work is most closely associated with work from home, it includes other arrangements, such as staggered work hours and job sharing.

Other than telecommuting, public service agencies also allow some staff to stagger their work hours, such as starting earlier or later than the usual time.

This flexibility is seen not only to benefit those with caregiving duties, but could also help to reduce peak-hour traffic congestion.

The broader adoption of hybrid work arrangements here mirrors the shifts seen globally.

Financial institutions such as Citi, HSBC and UBS have flexible work plans.

Citi Singapore, for one, will allow most staff to work remotely for up to two days a week by the third quarter of the year, with some teams already adopting such flexible arrangements. The American bank employs about 8,500 full-time and contract staff in Singapore.

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said at an event last week that the Government would like more companies to adopt the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements, which includes having a clear policy on how staff can ask for such arrangements to be put in place.

Workers have noted that telecommuting has contributed to much better work-life harmony for them, said Dr Tan, adding that helping people achieve this harmony is one way in which employers can foster inclusive and progressive workplaces where employees feel valued and empowered.

The White Paper on women's development released earlier this year said that the Government may introduce a new set of guidelines by 2024 that will require employers to consider staff requests for flexible work arrangements fairly and properly.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Workers want 4-day week in S'pore; some employers have started to offer this option

4-day work week UK trial going well, could launch in S’pore ‘in near future’: Programme co-organiser

The Ministry of Manpower has said that the guidelines will establish the norm that it is acceptable to request flexible work arrangements, while maintaining the employers' prerogative to decide, taking into account business needs.

Consultations are expected to be held before the guidelines are finalised.

In the meantime, the discourse on remote working and flexible work arrangements in Singapore remains fluid, with issues such as tax treatment, employers' obligations towards remote workers and employee mental health to be addressed.

Lufthansa faces more turmoil as pilots back possible strikes

The carrier last week cancelled around 1,000 flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs due to industrial action by ground staff

A strike last week by Lufthansa ground staff caused widespread disruption in Frankfurt and Munich

Photo credit: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Lufthansa may face further disruption after its pilots voted for strikes if they’re considered necessary to force a wage deal, a move that could unleash another wave of cancellations unless the airline’s negotiators and labour representatives can settle their differences.

The VC pilots union voted overwhelmingly on Sunday in favour of walkouts, meaning Lufthansa could be hit with stoppages as soon as next month. Strikes would trigger additional cancellations on top of the 7,000 flights the company has scratched this summer due to staffing shortages.

“This positive ballot does not yet necessarily lead to strike action,” the union said in an emailed statement. “But it is an unmistakable signal to Lufthansa to take the needs of cockpit staff seriously.”

A Lufthansa spokesperson said by email that the company respects the vote result and is continuing to rely on “constructive discussions” in order to resolve the conflict. Further talks with VC have been arranged, the spokesperson said, declining to specify when they will take place.

Pilot strikes at Europe’s biggest airline would add to a summer of chaos across the continent, where airports and airlines have struggled to accommodate a surge in bookings compared with the pandemic-induced slowdown.

Having initially avoided walkouts that have plagued rivals like Ryanair, Lufthansa’s management is facing action from its various labour unions. The carrier last week cancelled around 1,000 flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs due to industrial action by ground staff.

“We need a modern and fair, internationally competitive remuneration structure,” Marcel Groels, the VC’s chief negotiator, said on Sunday by email. “In the interest of our passengers, too, Lufthansa must show a serious willingness to find solutions.”

Surging German inflation is leading workers across the economy to demand higher pay, bringing the threat of strikes in several sectors. Lufthansa’s pilots are demanding wage increases to help offset the near double-digit rise in consumer prices.

After surviving a pandemic that pushed the carrier to the brink of insolvency, Lufthansa faces a swell of anger from employees who say they’ve borne the brunt of drastic cost cuts that they say put Lufthansa’s branding as a premium carrier at risk.

Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr has pledged to boost the airline’s earnings margin to a minimum of 8% by 2024, a move he said was needed to reduce debt. Disputes with worker representatives suggest Spohr might have trouble reaching those goals, as he tries to balance the need for more staff with a push to cut costs.

Still, the airline this month said it returned to profitability in the second quarter, benefiting from surging travel demand that’s forced the sector to raise fares and limit seat availability.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Scientists: Fires in American West Bigger, Hotter, More Destructive 

CREATING ITS OWN WEATHER

California Fire Near Oregon Border Explodes In Size Overnight Amid Potential Heat Wave Forming

'Very early': Scientists date when humans first came to Alberta's oilsands region

New research may have answered a long-standing mystery by pinning a rough date on the earliest known humans in Canada's oilsands region.

Bob Weber, The Canadian Pressabout 11 hours ago

Reid Graham (left to right) of the Manitoba Historic Resources Management Branch, Todd Kristensen of the Archaeological Survey of Alberta and Robin Woywitka of MacEwan University excavate an archeological dig in the Fort McMurray, Alta., area in a handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Brittany Romano **MANDATORY CREDIT**

EDMONTON — New research may have answered a long-standing mystery by pinning a rough date on the earliest known humans in Canada's oilsands region. 

In a recently published paper, professor Robin Woywitka of Edmonton's MacEwan University says a combination of archeology and geology has revealed that people were living around Fort McMurray, Alta., at least 11,000 years ago and perhaps as long ago as 13,000 years ago.

"People were in the Fort McMurray area very early," Woywitka said. 

"Fort McMurray has been a nexus for millennia. It's attracted people forever."

Scientists have long known the region has a lengthy human history. An archeological site known the Quarry of the Ancestors has yielded millions of artifacts since it was discovered there in the 1990s. 

But putting dates to them has been tough. 

Standard methods such as radiocarbon dating are out. The area's acidic soils destroy the organic materials those techniques depend on.

Sometimes, scientists can use sedimentary layers in the earth to date artifacts. But this area has been so stable that there aren't many places where sediment has been deposited. 

So Woywitka and his colleagues tried something new. 

They took satellite maps that revealed the surface topography with an accuracy to within a few square metres. They used that information to find sites where sedimentation was most likely to have happened and selected five of them — one of them in the Quarry of the Ancestors. 

Sediments from those sites were dated using a technique called infrared stimulated luminescence. 

That technique exploits the fact sand grains collect tiny radioactive particles in their pores. Those particles deteriorate at a known rate when exposed to light. So, the longer they've been buried, the more particles there will be.

Infrared light causes those particles to release energy. That can then be measured to reveal when the host sand grains were buried, along with the stone tools buried beside them.  

In this case, the answer was 12,000 years, give or take a millennium. 

"It has more uncertainty than radiocarbon dating, but it's better than nothing," Woywitka said. 

The findings put those early people right at the start of when that part of the world became livable. The first inhabitants would have moved there within a few centuries after the catastrophic flood that drained glacial Lake Agassiz, a vast inland sea that once covered almost all of what is now Manitoba and half of present-day Ontario. 

The date isn't too long after humans first came to North America, which most archeologists believe happened about 16,000 years ago. 

They would have found a landscape very far from the lush boreal forests and teeming wetlands that now cover much of northern Alberta. 

"People are dealing with a much different environment than what we see today — open, dry, cold," Woywitka said. "Probably tundra-y or grassland."

They probably hunted bison, Woywitka said. Beyond that, there's little that can be said. 

"Whether they came from the north or south, we don't know."

Despite the proliferation of artifacts, scientists can't fit them neatly into the cultural tool kits of other prehistoric people. The presence of materials from other parts of the continent suggest trading networks with other areas, but little is known.

One thing can be said. 

Woywitka points out the flood that drained Agassiz exposed both the good toolmaking stone that drew people to the area as well as the oilsands, which have drawn thousands of modern-day inhabitants. 

"People came 13,000 ago to get that stuff," he said. "We go to Fort McMurray today for resources." 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2022.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

REST IN POWER
Bill Russell dies at 88: Sporting world pays tribute to basketball's greatest winner

CGTN
Basketball 

01-Aug-2022

NBA great Bill Russell reacts at a news conference as he learns the Most Valuable Player award for the NBA basketball championships has been renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, February 14, 2009. /CFP

Icon. Legend. Trailblazer. There is no formidable winner in basketball than Bill Russell.

The American hero won 11 NBA titles, two NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal. To put his trophy-laden career into context, Michael Jordan only won six NBA championships, an NCAA title and two Olympic golds.

"Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions," Russell once famously declared. "There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved."

Michael Jordan (R) poses for a portrait with NBA Legend Bill Russell in Chicago, U.S., May 18, 1998. /CFP

A five-time Most Valuable Player, 12-time All-Star and the Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, Russell's achievement go beyond numbers. During his 13-year career, he not only served as the cornerstone of a Boston Celtics dynasty, but also left a lasting mark as an African American athlete.

A leading voice for social justice, Russell single-handedly changed the course of American sports history by becoming its first Black coach in 1966 and the first Black player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975.

It is little wonder thus that after news of Russell's death broke on Sunday, the sporting world and beyond have come together to pay tribute to one of the most important basketball players of all time.

U.S. President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Freedom to Bill Russell during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2011. /CFP

Jordan led the way by saying Russell was a "pioneer." "He paved the way and set an example for every Black player who came into the league after him, including me," Jordan said in a statement. "The world has lost a legend."

Boston's former "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all posted emotional messages on social media. "I can go on all day about what you meant to me," said Pierce. "I'll never forget this day we were like kids sitting around a camp fire listening to your stories."

Lakers great Magic Johnson, another legendary Hall of Famer, added, "Bill Russell was my idol... Despite all of his achievements, he was so humble, a gentle giant, a very intelligent man, and used his voice and platform to fight for Black people."

Bill Russell (L) is congratulated by Celtics coach Arnold Auerbach after scoring his 10,000th point in the NBA game against the Baltimore Bullets in Boston Garden, U.S., December 12, 1964. /CFP

"He was one of the first athletes on the frontline fighting for social justice, equity, equality, and civil rights. Over the course of our friendship, he always reminded me about making things better in the Black community."

The comment was echoed by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who stressed that his eulogy "only begin to tell the story of Bill's immense impact on our league and broader society."

"Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league," Silver said.

Celtics great Bill Russell looks at his statue on Boston's City Hall Plaza, U.S., November 1, 2013. /CFP

There's almost no way to measure the huge impact Russell had on basketball and society as a whole, and U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted Russell's ability to force everybody "to confront hard truths."

"The promise of America is that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We've never fully lived up to that promise, but Bill Russell made sure we never walked away from it," Biden said in a statement.

"And on this day, there are generations of Americans who are reflecting on what he meant to them as someone who played for the essential truth that every person is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect."

Bill Russell holds the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award at AT&T Center in San Antonio, U.S., June 15, 2014. /CFP

Former U.S. President Barack Obama, who awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom, also paid his tribute, saying the world had "lost a giant."

"Perhaps more than anyone else, Bill knew what it took to win and what it took to lead. On the court, he was the greatest champion in basketball history. Off of it, he was a civil rights trailblazer, marching with Dr. King and standing with Muhammad Ali," Obama wrote on Twitter.

"For decades, Bill endured insults and vandalism, but never let it stop him from speaking up for what's right. I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life."

Bill Russell stands court side during a tribute in his honor in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks in Boston, U.S., November 1, 2013. /CFP


Bill Russell Key Numbers

5

Russell was NBA's Most Valuable Player five times, tying Michael Jordan and beaten only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won the award six times.

11

Russell holds the record for the most NBA championships won with 11 titles during his 13-year career, including eight straight titles from 1959-1966. He also served as a player-coach of the Celtics for his final two titles in 1968 and 1969.

12

Russell made the All-Star team 12 times. He was named MVP of the All-Star Game in 1963 after notching up 19 points, 24 rebounds and five assists.

22.45

Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game for his career, taking up the number two spot on the all-time list. He and Wilt Chamberlain are the only NBA players in history to average more than 15 rebounds per game in the playoffs.

NBA All Star, first Black head coach and civil rights activist Bill Russell dies at 88

31 Jul, 2022 

Bill Russell redefined how basketball is played, and then he changed the way sports are viewed in a racially divided country.

The most prolific winner in NBA history, Russell marched with Martin Luther King Jr, stood with Muhammad Ali and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. The centrepiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years, Russell earned his last two NBA titles as a player-coach — the first Black coach in any major US sport.

Russell died Sunday at the age of 88, with his wife, Jeannine, at his side, his family said in a statement posted on social media. No cause of death was immediately available; Russell, who had been living in the Seattle area, was not well enough to present the NBA Finals MVP trophy in June due to a long illness.

"We hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bill's uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle," the family said. "That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6."

A Hall of Famer, five-time Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star, Russell in 1980 was voted the greatest player in NBA history by basketball writers. He remains the sport's most decorated champion — he also won two college titles and an Olympic gold medal — and an archetype of selflessness who won with defence and rebounding while others racked up gaudy scoring totals.

Often, that meant Wilt Chamberlain, the only worthy rival of Russell's era and his prime competition for rebounds, MVP trophies and barroom arguments about who was better. Chamberlain, who died in 1999 at 63, had twice as many points, four MVP trophies of his own and is the only person in league history to grab more rebounds than Russell — 23,924 to 21,620.

The legendary centre anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 titles in 13 years. Photo / AP

But Russell dominated in the only stat he cared about: 11 championships to two.

"Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. More importantly, he added: "Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league."

In a statement released by the White House, President Joe Biden praised Russell for his lifelong work in civil rights as well as in sports, and called him "a towering champion for freedom, equality, and justice."

"Bill Russell is one of the greatest athletes in our history - an all-time champion of champions, and a good man and great American who did everything he could to deliver the promise of America for all Americans," Biden said.

Reaction poured in Sunday, from Obama to Michael Jordan, from Magic Johnson to Boston's Mayor, Michelle Wu.

"Today, we lost a giant," Obama said. "As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher — both as a player and as a person. Perhaps more than anyone else, Bill knew what it took to win and what it took to lead.".

A Louisiana native, Russell also left a lasting mark as a Black athlete in a city — and country — where race is often a flash point. He was at the March on Washington in 1963, when King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and he backed Ali when the boxer was pilloried for refusing induction into the military draft.

In 2011, Obama awarded Russell the Medal of Freedom alongside Congressman John Lewis, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and baseball great Stan Musial.

Mr Russell addresses an audience during a campaign fundraising event, Boston, 2011. Photo / AP

"To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionise the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable," the Celtics said on Sunday. "But that is who Bill Russell was."

Russell said that when he was growing up in the segregated South and later California his parents instilled in him the calm confidence that allowed him to brush off racist taunts.

"Years later, people asked me what I had to go through," Russell said in 2008. "Unfortunately, or fortunately, I've never been through anything. From my first moment of being alive was the notion that my mother and father loved me." It was Russell's mother who would tell him to disregard comments from those who might see him playing in the yard.

"Whatever they say, good or bad, they don't know you," he recalled her saying. "They're wrestling with their own demons."

But it was Jackie Robinson who gave Russell a road map for dealing with racism in his sport: "Jackie was a hero to us. He always conducted himself as a man. He showed me the way to be a man in professional sports."

The feeling was mutual, Russell learned, when Robinson's widow, Rachel, called and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband's funeral in 1972.

"She hung the phone up and I asked myself, 'How do you get to be a hero to Jackie Robinson?'" Russell said. "I was so flattered."

William Felton Russell was born on 12 February 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. He was a child when his family moved to the West Coast, and he went to high school in Oakland, California, and then the University of San Francisco. He led the Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 and won a gold medal in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics in Australia.

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Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach so coveted Russell that he worked out a trade with the St Louis Hawks for the second pick in the draft. He promised the Rochester Royals, who owned the No. 1 pick, a lucrative visit by the Ice Capades, which were also run by Celtics owner Walter Brown.

Still, Russell arrived in Boston to complaints that he wasn't that good. "People said it was a wasted draft choice, wasted money," he recalled. "They said, 'He's no good. All he can do is block shots and rebound.' And Red said, 'That's enough.'"

The Celtics also picked up Tommy Heinsohn and KC Jones, Russell's college teammate, in the same draft. Although Russell joined the team late because he was leading the US to the Olympic gold, Boston finished the regular season with the league's best record.

The Celtics won the NBA championship — their first of 17 — in a double-overtime seventh game against Bob Pettit's St. Louis Hawks. Russell won his first MVP award the next season, but the Hawks won the title in a finals rematch. The Celtics won it all again in 1959, starting an unprecedented string of eight consecutive NBA crowns.

A 6-foot-10 centre, Russell never averaged more than 18.9 points during his 13 seasons, each year producing more rebounds than points. For 10 seasons he averaged more than 20 rebounds. He once had 51 rebounds in a game; Chamberlain holds the record with 55.

Auerbach retired after winning the 1966 title, and Russell became the player-coach — the first Black head coach in NBA history, and almost a decade before Frank Robinson took over Cleveland in baseball's American League. Boston's title streak ended with a loss to Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division finals.

Russell led the Celtics back to titles in 1968 and '69, each time winning seven-game playoff series against Chamberlain. Russell retired after the '69 finals, returning for a relatively successful — but unfulfilling — four-year stint as coach and GM of the Seattle SuperSonics and a less fruitful half-season as coach of the Sacramento Kings.

Russell's No. 6 jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1972. He earned spots on the NBA's 25th anniversary all-time team in 1970, 35th anniversary team in 1980 and 75th anniversary team. In 1996, he was hailed as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players.

In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in his honour. (Russell never won the honour, because it was awarded for the first time in 1969.) He presented his namesake trophy for many years, the last in 2019 to Kawhi Leonard; Russell was not there in 2020 because of the NBA bubble nor in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns.

In 2013, a statue was unveiled on Boston's City Hall Plaza of Russell surrounded by blocks of granite with quotes on leadership and character. Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 but did not attend the ceremony, saying he should not have been the first African American elected. (Chuck Cooper, the NBA's first Black player, was his choice.)

In 2019, Russell accepted his Hall of Fame ring in a private gathering.

"I felt others before me should have had that honor," he tweeted. "Good to see progress."

But to Jordan, Russell stood alone.

"Bill Russell was a pioneer — as a player, as a champion, as the NBA's first Black head coach and as an activist," the former Chicago Bulls star and current Charlotte Hornets majority owner said. "He paved the way and set an example for every Black player who came into the league after him, including me. The world has lost a legend."

Russell's family said arrangements for the memorial service will be announced in the coming days.

UK
Bitter row over rail strikes as union leader says ‘Grant Shapps is a liar’

31st July
By PA News Agency


A bitter row has broken out over the rail dispute after the leader of the drivers’ union branded the Transport Secretary a liar.

Grant Shapps tweeted that passengers using Avanti West Coast services should expect disruption on Sunday because of unofficial strikes.

But Aslef hit back, saying there was no action on Sunday, accusing the minister of lying.

Mr Shapps tweeted: “UNOFFICIAL STRIKES: Passengers using Avanti West services should expect disruption today. Archaic rules from 1919 mean working on rest days is voluntary. Unions now stopping drivers volunteering – causing misery for public & staff who won’t get paid. We MUST modernise rail.”

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “Grant Shapps is a liar. He is not only wrong, he knows he is wrong.

“His propensity to lie is just one reason why he could not get enough backers to get in the ballot to become Tory party leader. That and the fact that he is not very good at his job.

“The truth is that the company does not employ enough drivers to deliver the services it promises passengers it will run. The company, and the minister, should stop lying and start recruiting.”


Aslef members at Avanti will strike on August 13 as part of the long-running dispute over pay and conditions, but the union said no action is being held before then.






Avanti West Coast said unofficial action by drivers means it is facing “multiple short-notice cancellations” on its network from Monday.

The firm said in a statement that cancellations are likely to continue until the current industrial dispute is settled.

“Customers are urged to check their journey on our website before coming to the station, and should be prepared for services to be disrupted at short notice and be very busy.

“We are sorry for the enormous frustration and inconvenience this will cause our customers and condemn the drivers’ actions.

“We urge them to engage in meaningful talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century.”

A union spokesman said the company does not employ enough drivers to deliver its services.

Aslef members at seven train companies went on strike on Saturday, causing huge disruption to services.

More strikes are planned in August by Aslef, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association in worsening rows over pay, jobs and conditions.

An Avanti spokesperson added: ”We have a long-standing agreement with drivers for them to work shifts as overtime.

“The drivers like this as they earn extra money. Normally there are circa 250 trains a week covered by this arrangement, with a pool of extremely reliable drivers that sign up regularly and without issue.

“Literally overnight, the number for this week has dropped to fewer than 10 trains covered by overtime. The drivers have, en masse, withdrawn their volunteering.”

Aslef denies strike plans as Avanti West Coast warns of more cancellations

Sun, July 31, 2022 

Avanti West Coast said unofficial action by drivers means it is facing ‘multiple short-notice cancellations’ (Alamy/PA)

A train company is warning about cancellations with little notice to its services next week, despite a union denying it was taking industrial action.

Avanti West Coast said “unofficial strike action” by drivers means it is facing “multiple short-notice cancellations” on its network from Monday.

But the drivers’ union, Aslef strongly denied its members were taking action this week.

Aslef members at Avanti will strike on August 13 as part of the long-running dispute over pay and conditions but the union said nothing else is planned before then.

Avanti said in a statement that cancellations were likely to continue until the current industrial dispute is settled.

“Customers are urged to check their journey on our website before coming to the station, and should be prepared for services to be disrupted at short notice and be very busy.

“We are sorry for the enormous frustration and inconvenience this will cause our customers, and condemn the drivers’ actions.

“We urge them to engage in meaningful talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century.”

The company runs services from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh, with routes to Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales and Birmingham.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef said: “There is no action – official or unofficial – and the company should stop lying to passengers and belittling its staff.”

A union spokesman said the company did not employ enough train drivers to deliver its services.

Aslef members at seven train companies went on strike on Saturday, causing huge disruption to services across the country.

More strikes are planned in August by Aslef, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) in the worsening rows over pay, jobs and conditions.

Pakistan: Floods, rain-related death toll in Balochistan reaches 130

Quetta [Pakistan], August 1 (ANI): With torrential rains and flash floods continuing to wreak havoc in different parts of Pakistan, the death toll from flood- and rain-related incidents in Balochistan province has gone up to 130, according to local media reports.



August 1, 2022

Quetta [Pakistan], August 1 (ANI): With torrential rains and flash floods continuing to wreak havoc in different parts of Pakistan, the death toll from flood- and rain-related incidents in Balochistan province has gone up to 130, according to local media reports.

The situation is particularly bad in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, reported Dawn.

Two people lost their lives in Balochistan on Sunday, taking the death toll from flood- and rain-related accidents in the province to 130.

Balochistan’s Lasbela district has faced the worst flooding so far. The situation slightly improved slightly on Sunday, leading to the restoration of traffic on the Quetta-Karachi highway after almost a week, Dawn reported. The highway was badly damaged after the collapse of three bridges.

Many flood victims blocked the RCD Highway in Ahmedwall to protest against the administration. The protesters chanted slogans demanding relief and rehabilitation assistance. They complained that no one from the district administration or public representatives visited their disaster-struck area, according to Dawn.

Meanwhile, another four bodies were found stuck in the gates of Sukkur Barrage of Sindh province, taking the toll over the last one week to 27, Dawn reported citing official sources. Another two girls died in Punjab when the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, heavy rains in parts of Lakki Marwat district on Sunday led to floodwaters inundating low-lying areas. Rains lashed Lakki town and rural areas for nearly one hour, damaging properties.

As per reports, several urban and rural localities experienced flooding after an hour-long spell of rain.

Earlier, in wake of the havoc created in Balochistan, provincial authorities imposed Section 144 in the province.

Disastrous spells of monsoon rains had led to the collapse of two dams, Jara and Tabina, in the Toba Kakar range of mountains in Balochistan.

The two dams collapsed in the Toba Achakzai offshoot in the Tasharbat, Zemel Shadizi, Mako Kech, Zemal, Ghabarg, Adozai, Farakhi and its suburban parts.

After the dams’ collapse, the floodwater wiped out cattle, crops and farmlands in the affected areas. It is pertinent to mention here that land connectivity to Toba Achakzai was disconnected from other parts of the country for four days.

Meanwhile, the road link between Balochistan with Sindh was completely cut off after a bridge and a road connecting the two provinces were damaged in Lasbela and Khuzdar, respectively.

Traffic on the Quetta-Karachi highway was still suspended due to collapsing of major bridges and the sweeping away of big portions of the highway, the Dawn reported.
In its latest forecast on Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted more rains and thundershowers in various parts of the country during the next 24 hours. MET advised the travellers and tourists to remain more cautious during the forecast period. (ANI)