Judge: Petition to recall Seattle mayor can move forward
SEATTLE (AP) — A King County Superior Court judge has approved a petition for an election to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan.
The Seattle Times reports the ruling Friday on charges filed by a group of five people last month comes after weeks of local protests against racism and police brutality — sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Once any recall petition is approved, signatures are needed to qualify for a special election ballot. The petitioners must, within 180 days, collect valid signatures from a number of voters equal to 25% of the votes cast in the last election. In this case, signatures from more than 50,000 Seattle voters would be needed.
The Durkan petitioners’ recall effort accuses the mayor of “endanger(ing) the peace and safety of the community” by allowing police to “leak false information about fabricated crimes and threats to the media” and issuing a citywide curfew without sufficient notice to the public. The petitioners also accused Durkan of restricting certain property rights in downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill, the neighborhood where many of the protests took place.
In a response Saturday, Durkan’s chief of staff, Stephanie Formas, said the mayor “consistently has acted to protect the City’s public health and safety and to respect the constitutional rights to peaceful protesters.”
In her ruling Friday, Judge Mary E. Roberts dismissed six of the seven charges put forward as “insufficient,” but allowed one — which accuses Durkan of allowing tear gas and other crowd control weapons to be used during the coronavirus pandemic — to proceed “more narrowly than alleged.”
The judge did not rule on whether the allegation was true. “This court’s role in this case is limited,” she wrote.
The mayor could appeal the ruling, but Formas did not say if she would.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Alaska protesters interrupt campaign event with animal heart
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Protesters in Alaska carrying a banner and a caribou heart interrupted a campaign event for a U.S. senator seeking reelection.
The small group of protesters were restrained and escorted out by staff and attendees at Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign launch event in a hangar near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Saturday, The Anchorage Daily News reports.
Kathleen Bonnar said she approached Sullivan while carrying the caribou heart to the stage in a handbag.
She was accompanied by another woman, later identified as Crystal Berwick.
A video posted online showed Sullivan’s campaign manager, Matt Shuckerow, restraining Bonnar. The animal heart slipped from her hands onto the floor, leaving blood on Shuckerow and the stage.
At least two other women carrying a banner reading “Heartless Sullivan” attempted to rush the stage during the confrontation but were also pulled outside.
Bonnar said the heart fell from her hands when her arms were grabbed, which is why there may have been the misperception she intended to throw it.
“I think things just got really blown way out of proportion. None of us had any intention to be violent at all. We didn’t even expect the response we received at all,” Bonnar said.
Shuckerow said he attempted to stop Bonnar because he was not sure what the object was as she attempted to remove the heart from her bag.
The action was “not a safe protest, it was not peaceful, it was in fact violent on the part of the protesters,” Shuckerow said.
The demonstrators issued a statement afterward saying they were “attempting to establish a dialogue about Sullivan’s record against Alaska Native interests.”
The statement, which said the group consisted of Alaska residents who were not connected to any organization or corporation, said the protest was peaceful and they plan to seek assault charges against those who ejected them.
Chatham announces plan to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy
FILE - Copies of the McClatchy Co. owned Miami Herald newspaper are shown Oct. 14, 2009, in Miami. Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management plans to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy out of bankruptcy, ending 163 years of family control. The companies did not put a price on the deal in an announcement Sunday, July 12, 2020. The agreement still needs the approval of a bankruptcy judge; a hearing is scheduled for July 24. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management plans to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy out of bankruptcy, ending 163 years of family control.
The companies did not put a price on the deal in an announcement Sunday. The agreement still needs the approval of a bankruptcy judge; a hearing is scheduled for July 24.
McClatchy is one of the largest newspaper companies in the U.S. It owns 30 papers including the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer and the Sacramento Bee. It filed for bankruptcy protection because of a heavy debt load stemming from its $4.5 billion purchase of the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain in 2006, just as the newspaper industry went into steep decline.
Chatham was McClatchy’s largest shareholder and debt holder. It beat out a bid from Alden Global Capital, another hedge fund that has taken a leading role in the U.S. newspaper business.
Chatham’s other media holdings include the Canadian newspaper chain Postmedia and National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc. But industry expert Ken Doctor has noted that it doesn’t make financial sense to combine those with McClatchy in order to cut costs, as newspaper dealmakers like to do. And the emergence of Alden Global Capital as a bidder has given rise to speculation that Chatham will try to combine McClatchy with Alden’s holdings or with another big newspaper company, like Gannett.
While national newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are adding digital subscribers that help them navigate advertising declines, many local outlets have had a difficult time. That has contributed to a string of bankruptcies and consolidation, much of it involving investment firms, deepening concerns about declining quality as newsrooms shrink and papers close.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated ad-revenue declines and prompted furloughs, pay cuts, layoffs and more newspaper closings.
Several mayors of cities where McClatchy has a paper wrote to the bankruptcy court, asking the judge to consider the civic value of the paper.
“We want our newspaper to emerge from this bankruptcy with owners who are willing to invest in our community, and provide us with journalism at its best,” Lexington, Kentucky, mayor Linda Gorton said of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
McClatchy’s origins date to 1857, when it began publishing a four-page paper in Sacramento, California, following the California Gold Rush. The company remains headquartered in Sacramento.
FILE - Copies of the McClatchy Co. owned Miami Herald newspaper are shown Oct. 14, 2009, in Miami. Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management plans to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy out of bankruptcy, ending 163 years of family control. The companies did not put a price on the deal in an announcement Sunday, July 12, 2020. The agreement still needs the approval of a bankruptcy judge; a hearing is scheduled for July 24. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management plans to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy out of bankruptcy, ending 163 years of family control.
The companies did not put a price on the deal in an announcement Sunday. The agreement still needs the approval of a bankruptcy judge; a hearing is scheduled for July 24.
McClatchy is one of the largest newspaper companies in the U.S. It owns 30 papers including the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer and the Sacramento Bee. It filed for bankruptcy protection because of a heavy debt load stemming from its $4.5 billion purchase of the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain in 2006, just as the newspaper industry went into steep decline.
Chatham was McClatchy’s largest shareholder and debt holder. It beat out a bid from Alden Global Capital, another hedge fund that has taken a leading role in the U.S. newspaper business.
Chatham’s other media holdings include the Canadian newspaper chain Postmedia and National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc. But industry expert Ken Doctor has noted that it doesn’t make financial sense to combine those with McClatchy in order to cut costs, as newspaper dealmakers like to do. And the emergence of Alden Global Capital as a bidder has given rise to speculation that Chatham will try to combine McClatchy with Alden’s holdings or with another big newspaper company, like Gannett.
While national newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are adding digital subscribers that help them navigate advertising declines, many local outlets have had a difficult time. That has contributed to a string of bankruptcies and consolidation, much of it involving investment firms, deepening concerns about declining quality as newsrooms shrink and papers close.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated ad-revenue declines and prompted furloughs, pay cuts, layoffs and more newspaper closings.
Several mayors of cities where McClatchy has a paper wrote to the bankruptcy court, asking the judge to consider the civic value of the paper.
“We want our newspaper to emerge from this bankruptcy with owners who are willing to invest in our community, and provide us with journalism at its best,” Lexington, Kentucky, mayor Linda Gorton said of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
McClatchy’s origins date to 1857, when it began publishing a four-page paper in Sacramento, California, following the California Gold Rush. The company remains headquartered in Sacramento.
F1 star Hamilton raises right fist in fight against racism
By JEROME PUGMIRE
1 of 10 https://apnews.com/5d41ca60a07d0bec60a939036a3e18c7
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates on the podium after winning the Styrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Joe Klamar/Pool via AP)
SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Standing on the podium to celebrate his latest win, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton raised a clenched right fist and then delivered a message to his fellow drivers not to slow down in the fight against racism.
It’s 52 years since American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos introduced that powerfully defiant gesture to a worldwide TV audience when standing on the podium during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
On Sunday Hamilton and the other 19 F1 drivers wore black T-shirts with “End Racism” on them, as they had done at last weekend’s season-opening Austrian GP.
Most again took the knee on the grid before Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix in Austria.
Others still did not and even questioned in the pre-race drivers’ briefing whether it should still be done.
“Some people were asking ‘How long do we have to continue to do this?’ Some felt like one was enough last week, and I just had to (tell) them that racism is going to be here for probably longer than our time here,” Hamilton said after winning his 85th F1 race. “People of color who are subject to racism don’t have time to (just) ‘take a moment’ to protest and that be it. We’ve got to continue to push for equality and raise awareness for it.”
Smith and Carlos were representing a country being torn apart, after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy made ’68 one of the most turbulent years in American history. Wearing black gloves, the sprinters raised their fists in solidarity while the Star-Spangled Banner played.
When Serena Williams won her seventh Wimbledon title in 2016, she proudly raised her fist in a Black Power salute at the All-England Club in 2016. That same year, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee to raise awareness for black athlete activism. Williams and Hamilton have both referenced the Black Lives Matter movement, which Hamilton wore on the front of his T-shirt on Sunday.
Hamilton has spoken out against racism since the death in May of George Floyd — a handcuffed and unarmed Black man — after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes in May. Hamilton attended a Black Lives Matter march in London and is setting up a commission to increase diversity in motorsport.
His Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas kneeled after winning last Sunday’s Austrian GP and the team has thrown its support behind Hamilton by racing in all-black cars for this season.
“As a team we’re keeping the black all year long, so we’re going to be fighting and pushing for it all year,” the 35-year-old Hamilton said. “Personally it’s going to be a lifelong thing for me.”
Hamilton called out teams last week for not doing enough to combat racism.
Although he also praised F1 chairman Chase Carey and governing body FIA for donating money to help promote more equality and diversity in F1, Hamilton clearly feels there is still a long way to go.
“Of course there are signs but action is needed. It’s great to see Chase being so kind as to donate a million dollars and the FIA to step up and also give a million dollars,” Hamilton said. “But if you don’t know the problem then you can’t fix it, and a million dollars doesn’t really go that far. A lot of work needs to go on with Formula One. The FIA really do need to be a part of it, and I think the drivers need to be a part of it also as we have a great voice and great platforms.”
By JEROME PUGMIRE
1 of 10 https://apnews.com/5d41ca60a07d0bec60a939036a3e18c7
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates on the podium after winning the Styrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Joe Klamar/Pool via AP)
SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Standing on the podium to celebrate his latest win, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton raised a clenched right fist and then delivered a message to his fellow drivers not to slow down in the fight against racism.
It’s 52 years since American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos introduced that powerfully defiant gesture to a worldwide TV audience when standing on the podium during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
On Sunday Hamilton and the other 19 F1 drivers wore black T-shirts with “End Racism” on them, as they had done at last weekend’s season-opening Austrian GP.
Most again took the knee on the grid before Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix in Austria.
Others still did not and even questioned in the pre-race drivers’ briefing whether it should still be done.
“Some people were asking ‘How long do we have to continue to do this?’ Some felt like one was enough last week, and I just had to (tell) them that racism is going to be here for probably longer than our time here,” Hamilton said after winning his 85th F1 race. “People of color who are subject to racism don’t have time to (just) ‘take a moment’ to protest and that be it. We’ve got to continue to push for equality and raise awareness for it.”
Smith and Carlos were representing a country being torn apart, after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy made ’68 one of the most turbulent years in American history. Wearing black gloves, the sprinters raised their fists in solidarity while the Star-Spangled Banner played.
When Serena Williams won her seventh Wimbledon title in 2016, she proudly raised her fist in a Black Power salute at the All-England Club in 2016. That same year, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee to raise awareness for black athlete activism. Williams and Hamilton have both referenced the Black Lives Matter movement, which Hamilton wore on the front of his T-shirt on Sunday.
Hamilton has spoken out against racism since the death in May of George Floyd — a handcuffed and unarmed Black man — after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes in May. Hamilton attended a Black Lives Matter march in London and is setting up a commission to increase diversity in motorsport.
His Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas kneeled after winning last Sunday’s Austrian GP and the team has thrown its support behind Hamilton by racing in all-black cars for this season.
“As a team we’re keeping the black all year long, so we’re going to be fighting and pushing for it all year,” the 35-year-old Hamilton said. “Personally it’s going to be a lifelong thing for me.”
Hamilton called out teams last week for not doing enough to combat racism.
Although he also praised F1 chairman Chase Carey and governing body FIA for donating money to help promote more equality and diversity in F1, Hamilton clearly feels there is still a long way to go.
“Of course there are signs but action is needed. It’s great to see Chase being so kind as to donate a million dollars and the FIA to step up and also give a million dollars,” Hamilton said. “But if you don’t know the problem then you can’t fix it, and a million dollars doesn’t really go that far. A lot of work needs to go on with Formula One. The FIA really do need to be a part of it, and I think the drivers need to be a part of it also as we have a great voice and great platforms.”
Nearly 600,000 vote in Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries
By ZEN SOO yesterday
1 of 9 https://apnews.com/c8f51e488f770197b9c363448b3233a4
People queue up to vote in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 12, 2020, in an unofficial primary for pro-democracy candidates ahead of legislative elections in September. Over 200,000 Hong Kongers voted in an unofficial Hong Kong primary that will help the pro-democracy camp decide which candidates to field in legislative elections in September. The turnout exceeded organizers' estimates that some 170,000 people would turn up to vote over the weekend. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents turned up over the weekend to vote in an unofficial primary election held by the city’s pro-democracy camp as it gears up to field candidates for an upcoming legislative poll.
The primaries were held two weeks after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the semi-autonomous territory in a move widely seen as chipping away at the “one country, two systems” framework under which Britain handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997. It was passed in response to last year’s massive protests calling for greater democracy and more police accountability.
Throngs of people lined up at polling booths in the summer heat to vote despite a warning last week by Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs minister, Eric Tsang, that the primaries could be in breach of the new national security law because it outlaws interference and disruption of duties by the local government.
Organizers dismissed the comments, saying they just want to hold the government accountable by gaining a majority in the legislature.
The new law prohibits what Beijing views as secessionist, subversive or terrorist activities or as foreign intervention in Hong Kong affairs. Under the law, police now have sweeping powers to conduct searches without warrants and order internet service providers and platforms to remove messages deemed to be in violation of the legislation.
On Friday, police raided the office of the Public Opinion Research Institute, a co-organizer of the primaries. The computer system was suspected of being hacked, causing a data leak, police said in a statement, and an investigation is ongoing.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp, which includes multiple parties, is attempting to join forces and use the primaries as a guide to field the best candidates in the official legislative election in September. Its goal is to win a majority in the legislature, which is typically skewed toward the pro-Beijing camp.
To hold the primaries, pro-democracy activists had raised money via crowd funding. They pledged to veto the government’s budget if they clinch a majority in the legislature. Under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, the city’s leader must resign if an important bill such as the budget is vetoed twice.
Organizers said Sunday that nearly 600,000 people voted at polling booths set up across the city, exceeding organizers’ estimates of a turnout of 170,000.
“Despite the threat of the national security law, there are still nearly 600,000 people coming out to vote, “ said Au Nok-hin, one of the organizers of the primaries. ”We can see Hong Kongers are really brave.”
By ZEN SOO yesterday
1 of 9 https://apnews.com/c8f51e488f770197b9c363448b3233a4
People queue up to vote in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 12, 2020, in an unofficial primary for pro-democracy candidates ahead of legislative elections in September. Over 200,000 Hong Kongers voted in an unofficial Hong Kong primary that will help the pro-democracy camp decide which candidates to field in legislative elections in September. The turnout exceeded organizers' estimates that some 170,000 people would turn up to vote over the weekend. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents turned up over the weekend to vote in an unofficial primary election held by the city’s pro-democracy camp as it gears up to field candidates for an upcoming legislative poll.
The primaries were held two weeks after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the semi-autonomous territory in a move widely seen as chipping away at the “one country, two systems” framework under which Britain handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997. It was passed in response to last year’s massive protests calling for greater democracy and more police accountability.
Throngs of people lined up at polling booths in the summer heat to vote despite a warning last week by Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs minister, Eric Tsang, that the primaries could be in breach of the new national security law because it outlaws interference and disruption of duties by the local government.
Organizers dismissed the comments, saying they just want to hold the government accountable by gaining a majority in the legislature.
The new law prohibits what Beijing views as secessionist, subversive or terrorist activities or as foreign intervention in Hong Kong affairs. Under the law, police now have sweeping powers to conduct searches without warrants and order internet service providers and platforms to remove messages deemed to be in violation of the legislation.
On Friday, police raided the office of the Public Opinion Research Institute, a co-organizer of the primaries. The computer system was suspected of being hacked, causing a data leak, police said in a statement, and an investigation is ongoing.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp, which includes multiple parties, is attempting to join forces and use the primaries as a guide to field the best candidates in the official legislative election in September. Its goal is to win a majority in the legislature, which is typically skewed toward the pro-Beijing camp.
To hold the primaries, pro-democracy activists had raised money via crowd funding. They pledged to veto the government’s budget if they clinch a majority in the legislature. Under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, the city’s leader must resign if an important bill such as the budget is vetoed twice.
Organizers said Sunday that nearly 600,000 people voted at polling booths set up across the city, exceeding organizers’ estimates of a turnout of 170,000.
“Despite the threat of the national security law, there are still nearly 600,000 people coming out to vote, “ said Au Nok-hin, one of the organizers of the primaries. ”We can see Hong Kongers are really brave.”
French Games maker Ubisoft shakes up staff amid misconduct probe
This Nov.3 2017 file photo shows visitors playing Assassin's Creed video game at the Ubisoft stand at the Paris Games Week in Paris. French gaming giant Ubisoft is parting ways with its creative director and two other executives following an internal investigation of misconduct and media reports of sexual harassment. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)
PARIS (AP) — French gaming giant Ubisoft is parting ways with its creative director and two other executives and promising zero tolerance for “toxic” staff behavior following an internal investigation of misconduct and media reports of sexual harassment and other workplace abuse.
In a statement Sunday, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the developer of “Assassin’s Creed” and other games “has fallen short in its obligation to guarantee a safe and inclusive workplace environment for its employees.”
“This is unacceptable, as toxic behaviors are in direct contrast to values on which I have never compromised — and never will,” Guillemot said.
Ubisoft announced the immediate resignation of Serge Hascoet as the firm’s powerful chief creative officer.
Hascoet joined Ubisoft in 1987, the year after Guillemot founded the company with his four brothers. Ubisoft had previously described Hascoet as its “creative leader” whose “unique vision has infused every game released by the company.”
The director of Ubisoft’s Canadian studios, Yannis Mallat, is also leaving immediately, because “recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for him to continue in this position,” the company said.
Cecile Cornet is being replaced as Ubisoft’s global head of human resources.
Guillemot also promised further “profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture.”
Investigations by French daily Liberation and other media reports have pointed to alleged sexual harassment targeting women employees, and other workplace misconduct, and a growing willingness by some in the industry to speak up against abuses in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
The management shake-up at Ubisoft follows its announcement in June of an internal investigation and an apology “to everyone affected by this.”
“We must do better,” it said then.
LDS Church asks Utah Mormons to wear face coverings in public
July 11, 2020
FILE - In this April 18, 2019, file photo, the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City is viewed. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has asked all its members in Utah to wear face coverings when in public, a request that comes as confirmed coronavirus infections in the state increase. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has asked all its members in Utah to wear face coverings when in public, a request that comes as confirmed infections in the state increase.
The Deseret News reports that the Utah Area Presidency sent out the request in an email on Friday evening. The area presidency operates under the authority of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“Now we ask all Latter-day Saints in the Utah Area to be good citizens by wearing face coverings when in public,” the email said. “Doing so will help promote the health and general welfare of all.”
About 62% of Utah’s 3.1 million residents are members of the church.
Nearly 900 new cases were reported in the state on Friday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Overall, Utah had 28,223 confirmed cases and 207 deaths due to the virus as of Saturday. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
Even during pandemic beekeeping remains an essential service
By ANDREW HARNIK July 11, 2020
1 of 27 https://apnews.com/5032d89c3b32345da4409ddf701a80cc
A bee rests on a yellow sign that reads "Bees on Board" on beekeeper Sean Kennedy's truck as he helps capture a swarm of honey bees and relocate them to a bee hive, Friday, May 1, 2020, in Washington. The District of Columbia has declared beekeepers as essential workers during the coronavirus outbreak. If the swarm isn’t collected by a beekeeper, the new hive can come to settle in residential backyards, attics, crawlspaces, or other potentially ruinous areas, creating a stinging, scary nuisance. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON (AP) — “Excuse me, can I ask what you’re doing here?” a resident in a southeast Washington neighborhood asks as Sean Kennedy and Erin Gleeson get out of their truck and scour the streets.
The sign on their back windshield, “Bees Onboard,” gives them away.
Kennedy, 58, and Gleeson, 36, are beekeepers. They and their colleagues have been deemed essential workers by the District of Columbia government in the middle of a pandemic.
On this day April, the pair is responding to a phone call about a swarm of honeybees. At first glance it appears as if it might be a bad tip. Kennedy looks down a fence line while Gleeson walks across the street and past a few houses.
“Let’s check the alley,” Kennedy says, and quickly they’re back in their truck. The truck moves slowly as they scan fences, trees, and rooflines — all places where bee swarms might stop.
As they reach the end of the alley, they find what they were looking for: a dark mass about 2 feet long that most casual observers would walk by without noticing. Upon closer inspection, this brown mass moves with quiet activity, thousands of bees huddling with no nest to protect them.
Within two hours, this cluster of bees will be collected, driven across town and given a new home on some of the most desirable real estate in the city.
If a hive is thriving and becomes too large for its own space, the queen will take half the hive and set off to find a new location to start a new hive. If this swarm isn’t collected up by a beekeeper, the new hive can settle into backyards, attics, crawlspaces, office buildings, or high traffic public spaces, creating a nuisance that can alarm some people.
“Bees are not aggressive unless you invade their home or step on them,” Kennedy says. “But they do put people off. Some people are just innately afraid of things that sting and maybe that’s primal and necessary, but if you have them in your office building or you have them in your tourist spots, they become a problem. So, it’s good to catch them in that middle step when we can just put them somewhere where they are welcome.”
For the past five years, the D.C. Beekeepers Alliance has responded to calls from residents about bee swarms. These beekeepers call themselves the “Swarm Squad” and will come to all areas of the region to take away unwanted bees and give them a home, with the added benefit of collecting honey.
Last year the group responded to just 12 calls; this year has been especially busy.
“We had on the first swarm call day of this year, as many calls as we had in all of last year,” says Toni Burnham, the group’s president, who estimates receiving calls so far about 60 to 75 swarms.
The coronavirus outbreak coincided with the start of warmer weather, when bees naturally begin separating from their hives. When district officials began looking at the possibility of shutting down the city due to the outbreak, Burnham reached out to her contact at the D.C. Department of Energy & Environment.
“When I saw the lockdown happening and really scary quarantining things, I called up our regulators and said essentially, ‘If we’re going to catch swarms we need to not be arrested.’ They took care of it, she said.
“Beekeepers needed to be essential because often the hives that they keep are not on their property,” says Tommy Wells, the department’s director and a former member of the City Council. “So, they need to be able to travel and get to their bee colonies.”
Wells and his team at the agency also are looking at the broader picture and whether there are enough bee colonies in the region. He said if there are colony collapses elsewhere, D.C. bees can be moved where necessary.
Over the past year, beekeepers in the U.S. lost 43.7% of their honeybee colonies, according to the Bee Informed Partnership.
Back out on the street, Kennedy and Gleeson collected their swarm in a specially designed white cardboard box. The box hums and vibrates as they load it into the back of their truck next to their bee suits and tools. They make their way across town though light traffic in record time.
Jacques Pitteloud, the Swiss ambassador to the U.S., opens the gate to the embassy grounds. They exchange pleasantries as Kennedy and Gleeson don their bee suits.
Pitteloud, wearing a gray sweatshirt with “Washington, D.C” in big block letters across the front, says he was working with the Audubon Society of America to turn parts of the property into a biodiversity reserve when he was approached about beekeeping. “I said, ‘Of course.’”
“Because you know these beautiful gardens that embassies usually have are ecological deserts,” he says. “They are beautiful to look at, but they do not offer the kind of environment that’s conducive to wildlife.
Collecting swarms of bees is challenging at any time, even more so during a pandemic.
“Erin and I are both very careful in our day-to-day personal lives,” says Kennedy. “So when we work together we don’t worry about having masks on.”
He adds, “Being around a swarm of bees deters a crowd. You don’t want a lot of people gathering and it sort of creates a dynamic that encourages social distancing no matter what’s going on with pandemics in the world. So, it’s a perfect activity to encourage social distancing.”
Even with the virus, seeing someone out on the street in a bee suit can cause people to stop and look. “We do look pretty funny and we are doing some pretty strange things,” says Gleeson.
“Pre-corona, people would have hurried past,” she says. “And now they say, ‘Whoa, what are you doing, can I have a look?’ They stick their heads in the bee box and go, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s great to be able to show them, ’Hey here’s a queen or a drone or a worker.”
Kennedy says beekeeping has helped him combat boredom during the pandemic. “There were a lot of swarms this year and it gave life for the last few months some purpose,” he says.
He calls saving bees “a fairly noble endeavor” that people are enthused about. “It’s a way in difficult times to make a small difference. It’s probably, in the time of social distancing, the best way I could have spent the past few months.”
By ANDREW HARNIK July 11, 2020
1 of 27 https://apnews.com/5032d89c3b32345da4409ddf701a80cc
A bee rests on a yellow sign that reads "Bees on Board" on beekeeper Sean Kennedy's truck as he helps capture a swarm of honey bees and relocate them to a bee hive, Friday, May 1, 2020, in Washington. The District of Columbia has declared beekeepers as essential workers during the coronavirus outbreak. If the swarm isn’t collected by a beekeeper, the new hive can come to settle in residential backyards, attics, crawlspaces, or other potentially ruinous areas, creating a stinging, scary nuisance. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON (AP) — “Excuse me, can I ask what you’re doing here?” a resident in a southeast Washington neighborhood asks as Sean Kennedy and Erin Gleeson get out of their truck and scour the streets.
The sign on their back windshield, “Bees Onboard,” gives them away.
Kennedy, 58, and Gleeson, 36, are beekeepers. They and their colleagues have been deemed essential workers by the District of Columbia government in the middle of a pandemic.
On this day April, the pair is responding to a phone call about a swarm of honeybees. At first glance it appears as if it might be a bad tip. Kennedy looks down a fence line while Gleeson walks across the street and past a few houses.
“Let’s check the alley,” Kennedy says, and quickly they’re back in their truck. The truck moves slowly as they scan fences, trees, and rooflines — all places where bee swarms might stop.
As they reach the end of the alley, they find what they were looking for: a dark mass about 2 feet long that most casual observers would walk by without noticing. Upon closer inspection, this brown mass moves with quiet activity, thousands of bees huddling with no nest to protect them.
Within two hours, this cluster of bees will be collected, driven across town and given a new home on some of the most desirable real estate in the city.
If a hive is thriving and becomes too large for its own space, the queen will take half the hive and set off to find a new location to start a new hive. If this swarm isn’t collected up by a beekeeper, the new hive can settle into backyards, attics, crawlspaces, office buildings, or high traffic public spaces, creating a nuisance that can alarm some people.
“Bees are not aggressive unless you invade their home or step on them,” Kennedy says. “But they do put people off. Some people are just innately afraid of things that sting and maybe that’s primal and necessary, but if you have them in your office building or you have them in your tourist spots, they become a problem. So, it’s good to catch them in that middle step when we can just put them somewhere where they are welcome.”
For the past five years, the D.C. Beekeepers Alliance has responded to calls from residents about bee swarms. These beekeepers call themselves the “Swarm Squad” and will come to all areas of the region to take away unwanted bees and give them a home, with the added benefit of collecting honey.
Last year the group responded to just 12 calls; this year has been especially busy.
“We had on the first swarm call day of this year, as many calls as we had in all of last year,” says Toni Burnham, the group’s president, who estimates receiving calls so far about 60 to 75 swarms.
The coronavirus outbreak coincided with the start of warmer weather, when bees naturally begin separating from their hives. When district officials began looking at the possibility of shutting down the city due to the outbreak, Burnham reached out to her contact at the D.C. Department of Energy & Environment.
“When I saw the lockdown happening and really scary quarantining things, I called up our regulators and said essentially, ‘If we’re going to catch swarms we need to not be arrested.’ They took care of it, she said.
“Beekeepers needed to be essential because often the hives that they keep are not on their property,” says Tommy Wells, the department’s director and a former member of the City Council. “So, they need to be able to travel and get to their bee colonies.”
Wells and his team at the agency also are looking at the broader picture and whether there are enough bee colonies in the region. He said if there are colony collapses elsewhere, D.C. bees can be moved where necessary.
Over the past year, beekeepers in the U.S. lost 43.7% of their honeybee colonies, according to the Bee Informed Partnership.
Back out on the street, Kennedy and Gleeson collected their swarm in a specially designed white cardboard box. The box hums and vibrates as they load it into the back of their truck next to their bee suits and tools. They make their way across town though light traffic in record time.
Jacques Pitteloud, the Swiss ambassador to the U.S., opens the gate to the embassy grounds. They exchange pleasantries as Kennedy and Gleeson don their bee suits.
Pitteloud, wearing a gray sweatshirt with “Washington, D.C” in big block letters across the front, says he was working with the Audubon Society of America to turn parts of the property into a biodiversity reserve when he was approached about beekeeping. “I said, ‘Of course.’”
“Because you know these beautiful gardens that embassies usually have are ecological deserts,” he says. “They are beautiful to look at, but they do not offer the kind of environment that’s conducive to wildlife.
Collecting swarms of bees is challenging at any time, even more so during a pandemic.
“Erin and I are both very careful in our day-to-day personal lives,” says Kennedy. “So when we work together we don’t worry about having masks on.”
He adds, “Being around a swarm of bees deters a crowd. You don’t want a lot of people gathering and it sort of creates a dynamic that encourages social distancing no matter what’s going on with pandemics in the world. So, it’s a perfect activity to encourage social distancing.”
Even with the virus, seeing someone out on the street in a bee suit can cause people to stop and look. “We do look pretty funny and we are doing some pretty strange things,” says Gleeson.
“Pre-corona, people would have hurried past,” she says. “And now they say, ‘Whoa, what are you doing, can I have a look?’ They stick their heads in the bee box and go, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s great to be able to show them, ’Hey here’s a queen or a drone or a worker.”
Kennedy says beekeeping has helped him combat boredom during the pandemic. “There were a lot of swarms this year and it gave life for the last few months some purpose,” he says.
He calls saving bees “a fairly noble endeavor” that people are enthused about. “It’s a way in difficult times to make a small difference. It’s probably, in the time of social distancing, the best way I could have spent the past few months.”
Florida team studies hydroponic hemp as toxic algae remedy
Researchers at South Florida State College study floating hemp plants for their ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. Photo courtesy of South Florida State College
ORLANDO, Fla., May 6 (UPI) -- Florida researchers have started to study how hemp plants could battle toxic algae blooms by cleaning polluted waterways.
If research results appear promising, they intend to grow large mats of hemp in key Florida waterways, potentially providing a source of industrial hemp fiber while also benefiting water quality.
"I'd like to see 10,000 acres of hemp mats growing in Lake Okeechobee to help restore the lake as the pristine bass fishery it once was," said Steven Edmonds, founder of Hemp4Water and a political science instructor at Valencia College in Orlando.
Edmonds teamed up with researchers at South Florida State College, near Tampa, on the project.
Edmonds has been an advocate for water quality and for cannabis legalization for years. He started Hemp4Water as a Facebook group in 2013 to encourage using hemp to improve water quality.
A severe bloom of red tide algae that year in southwest Florida killed more than 240 manatees, motivating Edmonds to seek a solution. Hemp is a non-intoxicating version of cannabis.
"I know that hemp growers spend a lot of money creating a water supply that's rich in nitrogen and phosphorus because cannabis needs that," Edmonds said. "It just makes sense to try this."
RELATED Products made from hemp-based plastics enter consumer market
So far, the project has not been funded, but help has come from staff members at South Florida State College. Martin Ecosystems, of Baton Rouge, La., donated growing containers and floating mats.
The college became involved when Kendall Carson, a program specialist in agriculture research there, overhead Edmonds talking about hemp's water cleansing abilities at a conference. She was seeking ideas for hemp research.
To conduct the research, staff members place hemp plants on the mats with some soil and clay. Roots are allowed to hang down into the water. The plants eventually suck up nitrogen and phosphorus, two nutrients that occur naturally.
RELATED Marijuana, hemp businesses bolster commercial real estate
After decades of farming, development and canal dredging, Lake Okeechobee and other Florida waters are overloaded with the nutrients.
Water from the lake travels to both Florida coasts through canals, or into the Everglades, carrying the nutrient pollution that feeds toxic blue-green algae and red tide algae.
Health problems associated with harmful algae cost the nation $22 million annually, according to a report from the University of Florida. Toxic algae, which usually float near shore or wash onto beaches and cause foul odors, kill fish and marine life.
A severe outbreak of red tide algae in southwest Florida in 2018 damaged the fishing and tourism industries. Blue-green algae in 2016 left harbors full of dead fish in the Indian River Lagoon along the Atlantic Coast.
The research will show how much nitrogen and phosphorus each plant removes from the water. Researchers then will calculate how much of the nutrients can be cleaned up by larger plantings.
Carson said students in biology, agriculture and environmental studies help to grow the plants and process data. A chemistry instructor plans to publish a paper on the results.
"You can grow the hemp and clean the water systems and harvest it and put it to good use," Carson said. "If every person with a lakefront home had a mat growing hemp, they could harvest it and clean up the water."
Plants have been many times used to clean polluted water and soil, said Paul Gray, a scientist with the non-profit Audubon Florida, which isn't involved in the project. He said the research could be valuable, but large-scale plantings would need a lot more study.
Gray pointed out that Lake Okeechobee has tremendous water volume even though it is very shallow. It is the 10th-largest lake in the United States at over 440,000 acres.
"Hydroponics for other plants have been used to clean up waterways, but trying to scale it up for Lake Okeechobee would be ambitious, and it would be hard to anchor it," Gray said.
"If you put 10,000 acres of hemp in the lake, that could cause other complications that would have to be studied, like blocked sunlight."
upi.com/7002562
Researchers at South Florida State College study floating hemp plants for their ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. Photo courtesy of South Florida State College
ORLANDO, Fla., May 6 (UPI) -- Florida researchers have started to study how hemp plants could battle toxic algae blooms by cleaning polluted waterways.
If research results appear promising, they intend to grow large mats of hemp in key Florida waterways, potentially providing a source of industrial hemp fiber while also benefiting water quality.
"I'd like to see 10,000 acres of hemp mats growing in Lake Okeechobee to help restore the lake as the pristine bass fishery it once was," said Steven Edmonds, founder of Hemp4Water and a political science instructor at Valencia College in Orlando.
Edmonds teamed up with researchers at South Florida State College, near Tampa, on the project.
Edmonds has been an advocate for water quality and for cannabis legalization for years. He started Hemp4Water as a Facebook group in 2013 to encourage using hemp to improve water quality.
A severe bloom of red tide algae that year in southwest Florida killed more than 240 manatees, motivating Edmonds to seek a solution. Hemp is a non-intoxicating version of cannabis.
"I know that hemp growers spend a lot of money creating a water supply that's rich in nitrogen and phosphorus because cannabis needs that," Edmonds said. "It just makes sense to try this."
RELATED Products made from hemp-based plastics enter consumer market
So far, the project has not been funded, but help has come from staff members at South Florida State College. Martin Ecosystems, of Baton Rouge, La., donated growing containers and floating mats.
The college became involved when Kendall Carson, a program specialist in agriculture research there, overhead Edmonds talking about hemp's water cleansing abilities at a conference. She was seeking ideas for hemp research.
To conduct the research, staff members place hemp plants on the mats with some soil and clay. Roots are allowed to hang down into the water. The plants eventually suck up nitrogen and phosphorus, two nutrients that occur naturally.
RELATED Marijuana, hemp businesses bolster commercial real estate
After decades of farming, development and canal dredging, Lake Okeechobee and other Florida waters are overloaded with the nutrients.
Water from the lake travels to both Florida coasts through canals, or into the Everglades, carrying the nutrient pollution that feeds toxic blue-green algae and red tide algae.
Health problems associated with harmful algae cost the nation $22 million annually, according to a report from the University of Florida. Toxic algae, which usually float near shore or wash onto beaches and cause foul odors, kill fish and marine life.
A severe outbreak of red tide algae in southwest Florida in 2018 damaged the fishing and tourism industries. Blue-green algae in 2016 left harbors full of dead fish in the Indian River Lagoon along the Atlantic Coast.
The research will show how much nitrogen and phosphorus each plant removes from the water. Researchers then will calculate how much of the nutrients can be cleaned up by larger plantings.
Carson said students in biology, agriculture and environmental studies help to grow the plants and process data. A chemistry instructor plans to publish a paper on the results.
"You can grow the hemp and clean the water systems and harvest it and put it to good use," Carson said. "If every person with a lakefront home had a mat growing hemp, they could harvest it and clean up the water."
Plants have been many times used to clean polluted water and soil, said Paul Gray, a scientist with the non-profit Audubon Florida, which isn't involved in the project. He said the research could be valuable, but large-scale plantings would need a lot more study.
Gray pointed out that Lake Okeechobee has tremendous water volume even though it is very shallow. It is the 10th-largest lake in the United States at over 440,000 acres.
"Hydroponics for other plants have been used to clean up waterways, but trying to scale it up for Lake Okeechobee would be ambitious, and it would be hard to anchor it," Gray said.
"If you put 10,000 acres of hemp in the lake, that could cause other complications that would have to be studied, like blocked sunlight."
upi.com/7002562
UN study: Temperatures could rise faster than expected
People cool down in the fountains of Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower, during a heatwave in Paris June 25, 2019. A United Nations weather organization said temperatures could rise faster than expected over the next five years. Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE
July 9 (UPI) -- Average global temperatures could rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels in the next five years, presenting an "enormous challenge" to world leaders trying to meet Paris Climate Agreement goals, the World Meteorological Organization said Thursday.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said new studies should be a warning for global leaders about the planet that is warming faster than expected.
The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update showed the yearly mean global temperature will likely rise to at least 1 degree Celsius above preindustrial levels (1850-1900) in each of the coming five years, 2020 to 2024.
The study, led by Britain's Met Office, said there is a 20 percent chance that it will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels in at least one year.
"This study shows -- with a high level of scientific skill -- the enormous challenge ahead in meeting the Paris Agreement on Climate Change target of keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius," Taalas said in a statement.
The WMO, which is part of the United Nations, said the predictions account for natural variations and human influences on climate to provide the best forecasts of temperature, rainfall, wind patterns and other variables for the coming five years.
"WMO has repeatedly stressed that the industrial and economic slowdown from COVID-19 is not a substitute for sustained and coordinated climate action," Taalas said. "Due to the very long lifetime of [carbon dioxide] in the atmosphere, the impact of the drop in emissions this year is not expected to lead to a reduction of CO2 atmospheric concentrations, which are driving global temperature increases."
The WMO, which is part of the United Nations, said the predictions account for natural variations and human influences on climate to provide the best forecasts of temperature, rainfall, wind patterns and other variables for the coming five years.
"WMO has repeatedly stressed that the industrial and economic slowdown from COVID-19 is not a substitute for sustained and coordinated climate action," Taalas said. "Due to the very long lifetime of [carbon dioxide] in the atmosphere, the impact of the drop in emissions this year is not expected to lead to a reduction of CO2 atmospheric concentrations, which are driving global temperature increases."
Florida indoor farming firm turns pandemic disruption into opportunity
A large greenhouse operated by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens helped produce food as the coronavirus pandemic cut supply chains in March. Photo courtesy of Gotham Greens
ORLANDO, Fla., July 9 (UPI) -- A Florida company that grows lettuce in greenhouses turned a desperate situation during the coronavirus pandemic into new opportunities, thanks to a nationwide upswing in produce purchases from indoor farms.
Orlando, Fla.-based Kalera had to give away an entire harvest in March when the company's commercial customers closed amid stay-at-home orders. But, like some other greenhouse operations around the country, Kalera found other customers and avoided layoffs or going out of business.
Indoor farms like Kalera produce food close to their customers, in clean, hygienic facilities. The process also is called vertical farming because produce is grown on racks, using hydroponics -- raising crops with water and nutrients, but without soil.
Good hygiene and a local supply are more important than ever during supply chain disruptions and waves of panic buying during the pandemic, said Daniel Malechuk, Kalera's chief executive officer.
"It was literally the day of our first harvest at a new facility when the state announced stay-at-home orders and many of our food-service customers closed overnight," Malechuk said about what the company faced in March.
"My reaction at first was massive disappointment. That would be an understatement. But we rolled up our sleeves and were determined to make the best of it," he said.
Kalera has developed its farm technology over the past 10 years and had built a demonstration farm and production facility in Orlando. To the CEO's dismay, the crops in the new greenhouse became ready for harvest just as Gov. Ron Desantis ordered all restaurants closed to indoor dining.
That meant Kalera -- and other farmers who faced similar closures around the nation -- had nowhere to sell their crops. Some growers buried their produce rather than shoulder the expense of harvesting crops without having buyers waiting.
Among the customers Kalera lost were Marriott Orlando World Center, the Orlando Magic basketball team and area theme parks, Malechuk said.
Kalera had built a large grow house on the grounds of the Marriott resort to supply fresh lettuce and micro-greens to the kitchens there. But the resort has been closed for months, and does not plan to reopen until Aug. 1.
Instead of destroying the food, Malechuk donated his crop directly to local residents and food banks. That's also when he reached out to Florida-based Publix, one of the nation's largest grocery chains with more than 1,200 stores in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
At first, Publix paid Kalera for some crops and donated the produce to food banks.
Worried about possibly laying off his workforce of about 100, Malechuk wrote a heartfelt email to a Publix executive with whom he previously corresponded. His subject line was "Humble Plea."
The email asked Publix to make Kalera a permanent supplier. It worked, and Kalera produce now is sold in hundreds of Publix stores.
"I knew Publix wasn't accepting new suppliers at that point, and I didn't think it would work," Malechuk said. "But I had to try, and I told Publix that."
Unexpectedly, Publix expedited its process for accepting new products because of Kalera's crisis, said Curt Epperson, the company's business development manager for produce and floral.
"We were not only able to help their business -- and all the people who depend on them -- but our customers and our community," Epperson said in an email to UPI.
Kalera was not alone in turning a dismal outlook to a brighter future. Other indoor farm companies overcame difficulties during the pandemic and saw new opportunities.
Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens opened new greenhouses in several states as the pandemic spread around the world, CEO and co-founder Viraj Puri said.
His employees already had been wearing masks in growing areas before the pandemic struck. As coronavirus advanced, management added more levels of safety.
"We started detailed health screening calls, temperature checks, increased distancing. It was a hard time for everyone. We all knew people who tested positive, and we saw people lose their jobs," Puri said.
Gotham Greens soon saw increased demand from retail merchants for its greenhouse produce as other farmers around the country struggled to find labor for harvests and had difficulties shipping food across the country during the pandemic, the CEO said.
"The pandemic altered life around us, unfortunately, but it also showed that we can help ensure food security with indoor farming in controlled environments," Puri said. "These local supplies for growing produce are going to be important."
A number of other indoor farming operations found new customers -- and appreciation for their products -- during the pandemic, said Joel Cuello, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona and vice-chair of the Association for Vertical Farming, based in Munich, Germany.
"In the future, customers want to make sure they have reliable access to food nearby. Vertical farming can be hyper local, with a facility next to your restaurant or inside your grocery market if wanted," Cuello said.
As people value their health more during a global pandemic, nutrient-packed leafy greens are the most likely food that will be produced indoors, especially in remote areas with harsh environments, said Krishna Nemali, assistant professor of controlled environment agriculture at Purdue University in Indiana.
"In northern places, like Iceland or Alaska, or in desert regions, like the Middle East, they struggle to grow food outdoors, so they are turning more to hydroponics," Nemali said. "That's where we will see more demand."
Another vertical farm company, Indiana-based Green Sense Farms, also reported an increase in calls and inquiries to its sales staff from potential customers about its technology, said Robert Colangelo, a founder and CEO.
Colangelo's company provides contract research, design and construction of indoor, controlled-environment agriculture facilities. Green Sense charges a little under $1 million to provide a system that includes an automated germination room, grow room, equipment room and cooled packinghouse room.
"What we found is the COVID virus caused people to look at the length of their supply chains. Long complex supply chains can really be disrupted," Colangelo said.
He said he has spoken to officials in various cities who want to learn more about setting up vertical farms.
"If you have a food desert [an area with few grocery stores] or a school or hospital in a remote area, you could produce greens right on your property or right next door for that," he said.
A large greenhouse operated by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens helped produce food as the coronavirus pandemic cut supply chains in March. Photo courtesy of Gotham Greens
ORLANDO, Fla., July 9 (UPI) -- A Florida company that grows lettuce in greenhouses turned a desperate situation during the coronavirus pandemic into new opportunities, thanks to a nationwide upswing in produce purchases from indoor farms.
Orlando, Fla.-based Kalera had to give away an entire harvest in March when the company's commercial customers closed amid stay-at-home orders. But, like some other greenhouse operations around the country, Kalera found other customers and avoided layoffs or going out of business.
Indoor farms like Kalera produce food close to their customers, in clean, hygienic facilities. The process also is called vertical farming because produce is grown on racks, using hydroponics -- raising crops with water and nutrients, but without soil.
Good hygiene and a local supply are more important than ever during supply chain disruptions and waves of panic buying during the pandemic, said Daniel Malechuk, Kalera's chief executive officer.
"It was literally the day of our first harvest at a new facility when the state announced stay-at-home orders and many of our food-service customers closed overnight," Malechuk said about what the company faced in March.
"My reaction at first was massive disappointment. That would be an understatement. But we rolled up our sleeves and were determined to make the best of it," he said.
Kalera has developed its farm technology over the past 10 years and had built a demonstration farm and production facility in Orlando. To the CEO's dismay, the crops in the new greenhouse became ready for harvest just as Gov. Ron Desantis ordered all restaurants closed to indoor dining.
That meant Kalera -- and other farmers who faced similar closures around the nation -- had nowhere to sell their crops. Some growers buried their produce rather than shoulder the expense of harvesting crops without having buyers waiting.
Among the customers Kalera lost were Marriott Orlando World Center, the Orlando Magic basketball team and area theme parks, Malechuk said.
Kalera had built a large grow house on the grounds of the Marriott resort to supply fresh lettuce and micro-greens to the kitchens there. But the resort has been closed for months, and does not plan to reopen until Aug. 1.
Instead of destroying the food, Malechuk donated his crop directly to local residents and food banks. That's also when he reached out to Florida-based Publix, one of the nation's largest grocery chains with more than 1,200 stores in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
At first, Publix paid Kalera for some crops and donated the produce to food banks.
Worried about possibly laying off his workforce of about 100, Malechuk wrote a heartfelt email to a Publix executive with whom he previously corresponded. His subject line was "Humble Plea."
The email asked Publix to make Kalera a permanent supplier. It worked, and Kalera produce now is sold in hundreds of Publix stores.
"I knew Publix wasn't accepting new suppliers at that point, and I didn't think it would work," Malechuk said. "But I had to try, and I told Publix that."
Unexpectedly, Publix expedited its process for accepting new products because of Kalera's crisis, said Curt Epperson, the company's business development manager for produce and floral.
"We were not only able to help their business -- and all the people who depend on them -- but our customers and our community," Epperson said in an email to UPI.
Kalera was not alone in turning a dismal outlook to a brighter future. Other indoor farm companies overcame difficulties during the pandemic and saw new opportunities.
Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens opened new greenhouses in several states as the pandemic spread around the world, CEO and co-founder Viraj Puri said.
His employees already had been wearing masks in growing areas before the pandemic struck. As coronavirus advanced, management added more levels of safety.
"We started detailed health screening calls, temperature checks, increased distancing. It was a hard time for everyone. We all knew people who tested positive, and we saw people lose their jobs," Puri said.
Gotham Greens soon saw increased demand from retail merchants for its greenhouse produce as other farmers around the country struggled to find labor for harvests and had difficulties shipping food across the country during the pandemic, the CEO said.
"The pandemic altered life around us, unfortunately, but it also showed that we can help ensure food security with indoor farming in controlled environments," Puri said. "These local supplies for growing produce are going to be important."
A number of other indoor farming operations found new customers -- and appreciation for their products -- during the pandemic, said Joel Cuello, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona and vice-chair of the Association for Vertical Farming, based in Munich, Germany.
"In the future, customers want to make sure they have reliable access to food nearby. Vertical farming can be hyper local, with a facility next to your restaurant or inside your grocery market if wanted," Cuello said.
As people value their health more during a global pandemic, nutrient-packed leafy greens are the most likely food that will be produced indoors, especially in remote areas with harsh environments, said Krishna Nemali, assistant professor of controlled environment agriculture at Purdue University in Indiana.
"In northern places, like Iceland or Alaska, or in desert regions, like the Middle East, they struggle to grow food outdoors, so they are turning more to hydroponics," Nemali said. "That's where we will see more demand."
Another vertical farm company, Indiana-based Green Sense Farms, also reported an increase in calls and inquiries to its sales staff from potential customers about its technology, said Robert Colangelo, a founder and CEO.
Colangelo's company provides contract research, design and construction of indoor, controlled-environment agriculture facilities. Green Sense charges a little under $1 million to provide a system that includes an automated germination room, grow room, equipment room and cooled packinghouse room.
"What we found is the COVID virus caused people to look at the length of their supply chains. Long complex supply chains can really be disrupted," Colangelo said.
He said he has spoken to officials in various cities who want to learn more about setting up vertical farms.
"If you have a food desert [an area with few grocery stores] or a school or hospital in a remote area, you could produce greens right on your property or right next door for that," he said.
Trump admin proposes rule to refuse refugees based on COVID-19
A migrant makes a phone call at a shelter in Matamoros, Mexico, on January 25, 2019. Some at the shelter were living in the United States and deported after the Trump administration said it would begin sending asylum-seekers back to their native countries. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- The Trump administration is planning a new rule that cites danger from the coronavirus pandemic as justification for denying immigrants asylum in the United States.
The proposed rule from the Homeland Security and Justice departments was published in the Federal Register on Thursday and would allow the administration to block immigrants based on "potential international threat from the spread of the pandemic."
The threat determination would be made at what is typically the first interview in the application process, and not in immigration court.
"The proposed rule also would provide that this application of the statutory bars to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal will be effectuated at the credible fear screening stage for aliens in expedited removal proceedings in order to streamline the protection review process and minimize the spread and possible introduction into the United States of communicable and widespread disease," the proposed rule states.
In the Federal Register, the public will be able to comment on the proposed rule for 30 days before it takes effect.
Jennifer Minear, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said in a statement the new rule is "entirely unnecessary" and "unjustified."
"The Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies already have the tools they need to keep our nation safe from anyone who might have a serious communicable disease, including stringent immigration screening procedures and laws that protect against public health risks," she said.
Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council, said the rule would continue to scapegoat immigrants.
"The proposal is simply a pretext to implement a drastic change to our immigration system that the administration has sought from day one -- the elimination of asylum in the United States," Werlin said. "How we treat vulnerable populations during the coronavirus pandemic will define our true character as a nation for years to come."
Migrants in Mexico: Journey to the U.S. border
Migrants ride an inflatable raft on the Suchiate River from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, while a smuggler waits for their arrival in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico on Thursday. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo
A migrant makes a phone call at a shelter in Matamoros, Mexico, on January 25, 2019. Some at the shelter were living in the United States and deported after the Trump administration said it would begin sending asylum-seekers back to their native countries. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- The Trump administration is planning a new rule that cites danger from the coronavirus pandemic as justification for denying immigrants asylum in the United States.
The proposed rule from the Homeland Security and Justice departments was published in the Federal Register on Thursday and would allow the administration to block immigrants based on "potential international threat from the spread of the pandemic."
The threat determination would be made at what is typically the first interview in the application process, and not in immigration court.
"The proposed rule also would provide that this application of the statutory bars to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal will be effectuated at the credible fear screening stage for aliens in expedited removal proceedings in order to streamline the protection review process and minimize the spread and possible introduction into the United States of communicable and widespread disease," the proposed rule states.
In the Federal Register, the public will be able to comment on the proposed rule for 30 days before it takes effect.
Jennifer Minear, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said in a statement the new rule is "entirely unnecessary" and "unjustified."
"The Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies already have the tools they need to keep our nation safe from anyone who might have a serious communicable disease, including stringent immigration screening procedures and laws that protect against public health risks," she said.
Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council, said the rule would continue to scapegoat immigrants.
"The proposal is simply a pretext to implement a drastic change to our immigration system that the administration has sought from day one -- the elimination of asylum in the United States," Werlin said. "How we treat vulnerable populations during the coronavirus pandemic will define our true character as a nation for years to come."
Migrants in Mexico: Journey to the U.S. border
Migrants ride an inflatable raft on the Suchiate River from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, while a smuggler waits for their arrival in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico on Thursday. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo
Police interviews: Breonna Taylor's home was 'soft target'
An interview with one of the Louisville police officers involved in the killing of Breona Taylor found police were told she was likely alone in her apartment and that the suspect they were seeking was already located.
Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- A Louisville, Ky., police officer involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor said officers knew she was likely alone in her apartment and that the suspect they were searching for was already located, according to interviews released Thursday.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, one of three officers present at the scene of Taylor's death on March 13, told investigators he and the other officers who carried out the no-knock warrant were told that there were minimal threats in her apartment.
"They said they did not believe she had children or animals, but they weren't sure," Mattingly said. "Said she should be there alone because they knew where the target was."
He added that surveillance conducted earlier in the night showed little activity in the apartment.
Mattingly said he did not recall the name of the target on the search warrant, but Jamarcus Glover, one of the main suspects in a narcotics investigation and Taylor's ex-boyfriend, was arrested after police searched his house at Elliot Avenue on a separate warrant.
In the interview, Mattingly also stated that police repeatedly knocked and announced their presence, giving sufficient time for a resident to answer the door, but said he was unsure why he was told to do so during a no-knock warrant.
"Our intent was to give her plenty of time to come to the door because they said she was probably there alone," he said.
Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend who was in the apartment with her at the time of her death, told investigators they didn't know it was police knocking at the door. Walker, a licensed firearm carrier, fired a "warning shot" that struck Mattingly in the leg after officers broke down the door of the residence and officers returned fire, striking Taylor five times.
"The only reason I even had the gun out [was] because we didn't know who it was," Walker said. "If we knew who it was, that would have never happened."
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Taylor's family, said the interviews indicate a conspiracy to cover up Taylor's killing and called for all of the officers involved to be charged with murder.
RELATED Louisville police firing officer in Breonna Taylor case
"They substantiate what we've maintained all along: that police did not announce themselves when they broke into the residence with a battering ram and relased a shower of ginfire into the apartment, killing Breona, that the warrant and its execution were based on erroneous information and that Lousiville police actively worked to cover up Breonna's brutal murder," Crump said.
Taylor's family on Thursday also amended their lawsuit against the three officers to state that the raid of her home was connected to a gentrification project, alleging police were used to target people and homes on Elliot Avenue so the street could be vacated for a real estate project.
"Breonna's home should never have had police there in the first place," the suit states. "Breonna's death was the culmination of radical political and police conduct."
upi.com/7020500
Esper says it's 'unclear' who ordered protesters dispersed from Lafayette Square
IT WAS (ATTORNEY) GENERAL BARR
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (L) and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appear Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee hearing to discuss the Department of Defense in civilian law enforcement on Capitol Hill. Pool Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Thursday that it is "still unclear" who gave the order to disperse thousands of protesters in Lafayette Square outside the White House so President Donald Trump could walk through the park for a photo-op.
Law enforcement officers forcefully cleared Lafayette Park of the protesters who were rallying against the murder of George Floyd and racial injustice in the early evening of June 1. Witnesses said U.S. Park Police and the D.C. National Guard fired smoke canisters and pepper balls, which cause irritation to the eyes and skin. A Lakota military helicopter also flew close to the ground, causing protesters to disperse.
Trump then walked across the square to the front of St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo session as he held a Bible, flanked by Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Attorney General William Barr and other White House officials.
A week later, Milley said he regretted the use of force and his appearance with Trump for the walk.
RELATED Witnesses testify before Congress on police force during Lafayette Park protest
Testifying before the House armed services committee on Thursday afternoon, Esper said that after discussions with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and D.C. National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Walker, "It's still unclear to me who gave the direction to clear the park at that moment."
Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said he found it hard to believe that Esper didn't know who gave the order.
"I'm sorry but it's a pretty big decision," Smith said, "... and it just sort of happened?"
RELATED Gen. Mark Milley regrets Trump photo-op, police force against protesters
"I don't know. I have never inquired," Esper responded, saying he never pursued the decision-making process with anyone because "you get caught up on other things."
Smith has expressed "grave concern" over the use of military personnel in response to "peaceful protesters" in Washington on the night of June 1.
Esper stated no active duty military engaged with protesters, though Milley said he recommended, and Esper ordered, 1,700 active duty troops to an "increased alert posture" in the vicinity of Washington.
RELATED Hundreds of former DOJ officials urge probe of Barr over move to clear out protesters
Esper testified that officers across divisions were sharing gear, which could have contributed to the confusion.
"At one point, the National Guard, for example, cross-leveled its riot shields and lent them to the law enforcement," Esper said. "So if you saw police out there using a military police show [of force] it's because we cross leveled and that's a lesson learned. We got to figure out a way to mask the name 'military police' so we don't confuse who is actually doing the crowd control."
Protester Sarah Rosner, a 37-year-old Washington bartender, was on the street that Monday when an officer used his riot shield to push her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. In an interview Thursday, she said she sustained a minor concussion and six weeks later her ribs still hurt. Rosner said the officers retreated back to the White House, but then came back to clear the street all at once. They pepper sprayed her and other protesters, but she had worn goggles to protect her eyes. Her friends were able to get her to safety where she received medical attention.
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"I'm on the ground and I look over and I see the yellow church," Rosner said, referencing St. John's. "Why couldn't they have waited until after curfew?"
Rosner said curfew in D.C. was less than an hour later at 7 p.m.
Esper told the House committee that the National Guard did not advance on the crowd, shoot rubber bullets or employ chemical agents of any kind.
"Rather, the guard remained in a static role as backup to law enforcement, if needed," he said.
Rosner said it was hard for her to tell if the law enforcement officials were police or another agency.
"Some of them had a Secret Service vest and a police shield," Rosner said. "They would say different things."
During the hearing, Esper also was asked by several representatives about the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy active duty military force in U.S. cities to quell insurrections, terrorist attacks or help in natural disasters. Before Trump headed into Lafayette Park, he spoke in the Rose Garden, where he told reporters that he advised governors he would deploy the military to cities with protests to end them.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., asked Esper whether he thought the Insurrection Act needed to be modified, to which Esper responded that it has "endured well" and that nothing has happened that would compel him to change it.
There has also been controversy over Esper's use of the word "battlespace" to describe U.S. cities where there have been protests. While on a White House call with governors earlier that day, he encouraged the leaders to let the National Guard "dominate the battlespace" in clearing protesters.
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Esper initiated an investigation into the events of June 1 and said a report will likely be sent to the committee next week.
Esper and Milley were asked to testify to the same committee last month but turned down the request.
Protesters demand justice in police killing of George Floyd
Demonstrators hold a sign in Los Angeles on June 14 for Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot by police in her home while she was sleeping. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
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upi.com/7020377
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (L) and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appear Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee hearing to discuss the Department of Defense in civilian law enforcement on Capitol Hill. Pool Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Thursday that it is "still unclear" who gave the order to disperse thousands of protesters in Lafayette Square outside the White House so President Donald Trump could walk through the park for a photo-op.
Law enforcement officers forcefully cleared Lafayette Park of the protesters who were rallying against the murder of George Floyd and racial injustice in the early evening of June 1. Witnesses said U.S. Park Police and the D.C. National Guard fired smoke canisters and pepper balls, which cause irritation to the eyes and skin. A Lakota military helicopter also flew close to the ground, causing protesters to disperse.
Trump then walked across the square to the front of St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo session as he held a Bible, flanked by Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Attorney General William Barr and other White House officials.
A week later, Milley said he regretted the use of force and his appearance with Trump for the walk.
RELATED Witnesses testify before Congress on police force during Lafayette Park protest
Testifying before the House armed services committee on Thursday afternoon, Esper said that after discussions with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and D.C. National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Walker, "It's still unclear to me who gave the direction to clear the park at that moment."
Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said he found it hard to believe that Esper didn't know who gave the order.
"I'm sorry but it's a pretty big decision," Smith said, "... and it just sort of happened?"
RELATED Gen. Mark Milley regrets Trump photo-op, police force against protesters
"I don't know. I have never inquired," Esper responded, saying he never pursued the decision-making process with anyone because "you get caught up on other things."
Smith has expressed "grave concern" over the use of military personnel in response to "peaceful protesters" in Washington on the night of June 1.
Esper stated no active duty military engaged with protesters, though Milley said he recommended, and Esper ordered, 1,700 active duty troops to an "increased alert posture" in the vicinity of Washington.
RELATED Hundreds of former DOJ officials urge probe of Barr over move to clear out protesters
Esper testified that officers across divisions were sharing gear, which could have contributed to the confusion.
"At one point, the National Guard, for example, cross-leveled its riot shields and lent them to the law enforcement," Esper said. "So if you saw police out there using a military police show [of force] it's because we cross leveled and that's a lesson learned. We got to figure out a way to mask the name 'military police' so we don't confuse who is actually doing the crowd control."
Protester Sarah Rosner, a 37-year-old Washington bartender, was on the street that Monday when an officer used his riot shield to push her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. In an interview Thursday, she said she sustained a minor concussion and six weeks later her ribs still hurt. Rosner said the officers retreated back to the White House, but then came back to clear the street all at once. They pepper sprayed her and other protesters, but she had worn goggles to protect her eyes. Her friends were able to get her to safety where she received medical attention.
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"I'm on the ground and I look over and I see the yellow church," Rosner said, referencing St. John's. "Why couldn't they have waited until after curfew?"
Rosner said curfew in D.C. was less than an hour later at 7 p.m.
Esper told the House committee that the National Guard did not advance on the crowd, shoot rubber bullets or employ chemical agents of any kind.
"Rather, the guard remained in a static role as backup to law enforcement, if needed," he said.
Rosner said it was hard for her to tell if the law enforcement officials were police or another agency.
"Some of them had a Secret Service vest and a police shield," Rosner said. "They would say different things."
During the hearing, Esper also was asked by several representatives about the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy active duty military force in U.S. cities to quell insurrections, terrorist attacks or help in natural disasters. Before Trump headed into Lafayette Park, he spoke in the Rose Garden, where he told reporters that he advised governors he would deploy the military to cities with protests to end them.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., asked Esper whether he thought the Insurrection Act needed to be modified, to which Esper responded that it has "endured well" and that nothing has happened that would compel him to change it.
There has also been controversy over Esper's use of the word "battlespace" to describe U.S. cities where there have been protests. While on a White House call with governors earlier that day, he encouraged the leaders to let the National Guard "dominate the battlespace" in clearing protesters.
ADVERTISEMENT
Esper initiated an investigation into the events of June 1 and said a report will likely be sent to the committee next week.
Esper and Milley were asked to testify to the same committee last month but turned down the request.
Protesters demand justice in police killing of George Floyd
Demonstrators hold a sign in Los Angeles on June 14 for Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot by police in her home while she was sleeping. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
(0) Leave a comment
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Walgreens to lay off 4,000 workers after $1.7B quarterly loss
A shopper wears a face covering at a Walgreens location in Washington, D.C., on April 24. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- Walgreen said Thursday that it's recorded a loss of nearly $2 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to lay off thousands of employees.
Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a third-quarter net loss of $1.71 billion and said sales fell short of expectations, mostly in its international division.
Walgreens said the pandemic has negatively affected sales to the tune of $700 million, almost entirely in non-U.S. businesses like its Boots chain in Britain.
"While most Boots stores remained open throughout [Britain's] lockdown ... our largest premium beauty and fragrance counters were effectively closed," Walgreens said in a statement. "More than 100 stores, mainly in high street, station and airport locations, were temporarily closed as were nearly all of the 600 Boots Opticians stores."
Walgreens responded to the losses by announcing plans to lay off about 4,000 workers.
Walgreens said last year it would close 200 locations in the United States, but said most workers would relocate to other stores.
"This unprecedented global crisis led to a loss in the quarter as stay-at-home orders affected all of our markets," Stephano Pessina, executive vice chairman and chief executive of Walgreens, said.
World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic
A stylist wears a protective face mask while giving a haircut to a client at Roman K. Salon Luxury Hair Salon as New York City enters phase two of a four-part reopening plan on June 22. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
A shopper wears a face covering at a Walgreens location in Washington, D.C., on April 24. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
July 9 (UPI) -- Walgreen said Thursday that it's recorded a loss of nearly $2 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to lay off thousands of employees.
Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a third-quarter net loss of $1.71 billion and said sales fell short of expectations, mostly in its international division.
Walgreens said the pandemic has negatively affected sales to the tune of $700 million, almost entirely in non-U.S. businesses like its Boots chain in Britain.
"While most Boots stores remained open throughout [Britain's] lockdown ... our largest premium beauty and fragrance counters were effectively closed," Walgreens said in a statement. "More than 100 stores, mainly in high street, station and airport locations, were temporarily closed as were nearly all of the 600 Boots Opticians stores."
Walgreens responded to the losses by announcing plans to lay off about 4,000 workers.
Walgreens said last year it would close 200 locations in the United States, but said most workers would relocate to other stores.
"This unprecedented global crisis led to a loss in the quarter as stay-at-home orders affected all of our markets," Stephano Pessina, executive vice chairman and chief executive of Walgreens, said.
World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic
A stylist wears a protective face mask while giving a haircut to a client at Roman K. Salon Luxury Hair Salon as New York City enters phase two of a four-part reopening plan on June 22. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
United Airlines, pilots union agree to terms of job cuts plan
A United Airlines jetliner is parked at a gate at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill. Voluntary leave programs outlined in the new agreement aim to reduce job cuts in October. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
July 10 (UPI) -- United Airlines and its pilots union have reached an agreement for voluntary furloughs and early retirement in an effort to ease economic hardship and anticipated industry job cuts in the coming months.
The union announced the tentative agreement late Thursday. It still must be ratified by the 13,000-member union next week
he airline industry expects widespread cuts on Oct. 1, the earliest date any U.S. carrier receiving federal aid can furlough or lay off workers under the CARES Act. The expected losses are a direct result of depressed travel demand brought on by the coronavirus crisis.
"The economic impact COVID-19 has had on the airline industry has been profound for the workers who keep our skies safe and our world connected," Capt. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement this week.
RELATED Delta, United, Southwest sign letters of intent to receive CARES loans
"Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, thousands of pilots and crew members have received furlough notices and, absent congressional action, it is likely that there will be more to come."
Leave programs proposed in the agreement are similar to plans by American Airlines and Delta to reduce pilots on staff. The voluntary programs aim to reduce unwelcome job cuts in October, the United pilots union said.
Plans for the most senior pilots nearing retirement offer roughly three-quarters of their regular monthly income, plus medical, travel and retirement benefits. United has about 1,400 pilots at least 62 years old who qualifying for such offers.
RELATED United Airlines warns 36,000 employees of potential layoffs
ALPA spokesman Roger Phillips said it's not yet known how many pilots might opt for early retirement under the proposal.
World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic
A United Airlines jetliner is parked at a gate at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill. Voluntary leave programs outlined in the new agreement aim to reduce job cuts in October. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
July 10 (UPI) -- United Airlines and its pilots union have reached an agreement for voluntary furloughs and early retirement in an effort to ease economic hardship and anticipated industry job cuts in the coming months.
The union announced the tentative agreement late Thursday. It still must be ratified by the 13,000-member union next week
he airline industry expects widespread cuts on Oct. 1, the earliest date any U.S. carrier receiving federal aid can furlough or lay off workers under the CARES Act. The expected losses are a direct result of depressed travel demand brought on by the coronavirus crisis.
"The economic impact COVID-19 has had on the airline industry has been profound for the workers who keep our skies safe and our world connected," Capt. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement this week.
RELATED Delta, United, Southwest sign letters of intent to receive CARES loans
"Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, thousands of pilots and crew members have received furlough notices and, absent congressional action, it is likely that there will be more to come."
Leave programs proposed in the agreement are similar to plans by American Airlines and Delta to reduce pilots on staff. The voluntary programs aim to reduce unwelcome job cuts in October, the United pilots union said.
Plans for the most senior pilots nearing retirement offer roughly three-quarters of their regular monthly income, plus medical, travel and retirement benefits. United has about 1,400 pilots at least 62 years old who qualifying for such offers.
RELATED United Airlines warns 36,000 employees of potential layoffs
ALPA spokesman Roger Phillips said it's not yet known how many pilots might opt for early retirement under the proposal.
World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic
Salt Lake City mayor calls for peace after violent protests
Demonstrators in Salt Lake City have been protesting the police-involved killing of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal. Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI | License Photo
July 10 (UPI) -- Salt Lake City's mayor called for peace ahead of expected protests Friday night, one day after protests turned violent.
Erin Mendenhall asked for demonstrators to be patient as a newly formed commission gets to work evaluating racial equity in policing and formulates changes to the police department in the wake of police brutality protests.
"We aren't going to underestimate the potential of protests tonight, and I implore people to stop hurting people and to stop breaking things, because it's not affecting change whatsoever," she told the Deseret News.
Demonstrators gathered outside the offices of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on Thursday night to protest the office's findings that two police officers were justified in the May 23 shooting death of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal.
Demonstrators in Salt Lake City have been protesting the police-involved killing of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal. Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI | License Photo
July 10 (UPI) -- Salt Lake City's mayor called for peace ahead of expected protests Friday night, one day after protests turned violent.
Erin Mendenhall asked for demonstrators to be patient as a newly formed commission gets to work evaluating racial equity in policing and formulates changes to the police department in the wake of police brutality protests.
"We aren't going to underestimate the potential of protests tonight, and I implore people to stop hurting people and to stop breaking things, because it's not affecting change whatsoever," she told the Deseret News.
Demonstrators gathered outside the offices of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on Thursday night to protest the office's findings that two police officers were justified in the May 23 shooting death of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal.
Some demonstrators vandalized the building, breaking three windows and spreading gallons of red paint on the walls and steps. Officials said the demonstrators caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
A police officer sustained a leg injury and several protesters were arrested for "unlawful assembly," police Chief Mike Brown said.
Gill said that despite the vandalism, he wants to "encourage robust civic dialogue."
"The vandalism of a few won't discourage or distract us from continuing our work in the community as we seek improvement, reform, understanding and respect throughout our community," he said.
Mendenhall said she doesn't plan to implement a citywide curfew, though Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency.
Anti-police and anti-racism brutality protests sprung up across the country -- and the globe -- in late May after the police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The movement has spurred some police departments and cities to review law enforcement practices and implement new policies to work toward reducing racial bias.
A police officer sustained a leg injury and several protesters were arrested for "unlawful assembly," police Chief Mike Brown said.
Gill said that despite the vandalism, he wants to "encourage robust civic dialogue."
"The vandalism of a few won't discourage or distract us from continuing our work in the community as we seek improvement, reform, understanding and respect throughout our community," he said.
Mendenhall said she doesn't plan to implement a citywide curfew, though Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency.
Anti-police and anti-racism brutality protests sprung up across the country -- and the globe -- in late May after the police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The movement has spurred some police departments and cities to review law enforcement practices and implement new policies to work toward reducing racial bias.
CDC data highlight racial disparities in spread, scope of COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 has been particularly challenging for older adults and racial and ethnic minorities, the CDC reported on Friday. Pool Photo by Saul Loeb/UPI | License Photo
July 10 (UPI) -- More than 34 percent of Hispanic and Latin Americans who died from COVID-19 across the United States were younger than 65, an analysis released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
About 30 percent of black Americans who died from COVID-19 also were younger than 65, compared to just over 13 percent of white Americans younger than 65 who died from the disease, CDC said.
Just over 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been adults under age 65, the agency said.
"The relatively high percentages of Hispanic and non-white decedents aged less than 65 years were notable," the CDC researchers wrote in the report.
Researchers said healthcare providers should consider the potential of severe disease in younger people who are non-white or have underlying conditions.
"More prompt diagnoses could facilitate earlier implementation of supportive care," they said.
In all, Hispanic and Latin Americans accounted for one in four deaths from COVID-19, the CDC found, even though they constitute just under 19 percent of the U.S. population, according to census data.
RELATED Major medical groups urge Americans to wear face masks
The CDC analysis also showed that, as of May 18, approximately 60 percent of those who died from COVID-19 in the United States were male.
More than 75 percent of those who died have had at least one underlying medical condition, including 83 percent of those age 65 or younger, the CDC said.
Heart disease was the most common underlying health condition among COVID-19 deaths, at 61 percent, followed by diabetes at 40 percent, chronic kidney disease at 21 percent, and chronic lung disease at 19 percent, the agency said.
Nearly half of those aged 65 and younger who died from COVID-19 had diabetes, CDC reported.
Efforts to examine SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19-associated deaths among different racial and ethnic groups "could lead to targeted, community-level, mortality prevention initiatives," CDC researchers wrote.
"These campaigns could encourage social distancing and the need for wearing cloth face coverings in public settings," they wrote.
COVID-19 has been particularly challenging for older adults and racial and ethnic minorities, the CDC reported on Friday. Pool Photo by Saul Loeb/UPI | License Photo
July 10 (UPI) -- More than 34 percent of Hispanic and Latin Americans who died from COVID-19 across the United States were younger than 65, an analysis released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
About 30 percent of black Americans who died from COVID-19 also were younger than 65, compared to just over 13 percent of white Americans younger than 65 who died from the disease, CDC said.
Just over 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been adults under age 65, the agency said.
"The relatively high percentages of Hispanic and non-white decedents aged less than 65 years were notable," the CDC researchers wrote in the report.
Researchers said healthcare providers should consider the potential of severe disease in younger people who are non-white or have underlying conditions.
"More prompt diagnoses could facilitate earlier implementation of supportive care," they said.
In all, Hispanic and Latin Americans accounted for one in four deaths from COVID-19, the CDC found, even though they constitute just under 19 percent of the U.S. population, according to census data.
RELATED New flu tracking system limited by lack of data from poorer communities
African Americans made up about 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, even though they account for just over 13 percent of the U.S. population based on census data, CDC said.
The latest CDC findings on the impact of COVID-19 are based on an analysis of data through May 18. At that time, more than 1.3 million cases of the disease were confirmed across the United States, resulting in 83,000 deaths, the agency said.
Through Friday afternoon, more than 3.1 million confirmed cases and more than 133,000 deaths were reported in this country, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
African Americans made up about 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, even though they account for just over 13 percent of the U.S. population based on census data, CDC said.
The latest CDC findings on the impact of COVID-19 are based on an analysis of data through May 18. At that time, more than 1.3 million cases of the disease were confirmed across the United States, resulting in 83,000 deaths, the agency said.
Through Friday afternoon, more than 3.1 million confirmed cases and more than 133,000 deaths were reported in this country, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
RELATED Major medical groups urge Americans to wear face masks
The CDC analysis also showed that, as of May 18, approximately 60 percent of those who died from COVID-19 in the United States were male.
More than 75 percent of those who died have had at least one underlying medical condition, including 83 percent of those age 65 or younger, the CDC said.
Heart disease was the most common underlying health condition among COVID-19 deaths, at 61 percent, followed by diabetes at 40 percent, chronic kidney disease at 21 percent, and chronic lung disease at 19 percent, the agency said.
Nearly half of those aged 65 and younger who died from COVID-19 had diabetes, CDC reported.
Efforts to examine SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19-associated deaths among different racial and ethnic groups "could lead to targeted, community-level, mortality prevention initiatives," CDC researchers wrote.
"These campaigns could encourage social distancing and the need for wearing cloth face coverings in public settings," they wrote.
World Council of Churches criticizes Hagia Sophia decision
People take pictures as they celebrate Turkey's decision that the 1,500 year old Unesco World Heritage site Hagia Sophia can be converted into a mosque, in front of the Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, Turkey Saturday. Turkey's highest administration court on Friday ruled that the museum that was once a mosque built in a Cathedral can be turned into a mosque again by anulling its status as museum. Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA-EFE
July 11 (UPI) -- The World Council of Churches wrote a letter to Turkey's president this week to reverse his decision to turn the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.
"Since it began functioning as a museum in 1934, Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations and religions, and a powerful expression of the Republic of Turkey's commitment to secularism and inclusion and of its desire to leave behind the conflicts of the past," said the letter from the council, whose membership includes 350 member churches in 110 countries.
RELATED Turkish court allows Hagia Sophia museum to return as mosque
The Hagia Sophia was built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral but converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, then converted to a museum on the orders of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the interest of fostering a more modern, secular country.
Erdogan defended his decision at a ceremony he attended via video-conference on Saturday.
"Those who do not take a step against Islamophobia in their own countries ... attack Turkey's will to use its sovereign rights," Erdogan said.
People take pictures as they celebrate Turkey's decision that the 1,500 year old Unesco World Heritage site Hagia Sophia can be converted into a mosque, in front of the Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, Turkey Saturday. Turkey's highest administration court on Friday ruled that the museum that was once a mosque built in a Cathedral can be turned into a mosque again by anulling its status as museum. Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA-EFE
July 11 (UPI) -- The World Council of Churches wrote a letter to Turkey's president this week to reverse his decision to turn the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.
"Since it began functioning as a museum in 1934, Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations and religions, and a powerful expression of the Republic of Turkey's commitment to secularism and inclusion and of its desire to leave behind the conflicts of the past," said the letter from the council, whose membership includes 350 member churches in 110 countries.
"By deciding to convert the Hagia Sophia back to a mosque you have reversed that positive sign of Turkey's openness and changed it to a sign of exclusion and division. Regrettably, this decision has also been taken without prior notice or discussion with UNESCO regarding the impact of this decision on Hagia Sophia's universal value recognized under the World Heritage Convention."
Turkey's highest court ruled Friday that the building could be converted back to a mosque, a decision supported by Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan but opposed by world leaders elsewhere, including the United States.
Turkey's highest court ruled Friday that the building could be converted back to a mosque, a decision supported by Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan but opposed by world leaders elsewhere, including the United States.
RELATED Turkish court allows Hagia Sophia museum to return as mosque
The Hagia Sophia was built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral but converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, then converted to a museum on the orders of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the interest of fostering a more modern, secular country.
Erdogan defended his decision at a ceremony he attended via video-conference on Saturday.
"Those who do not take a step against Islamophobia in their own countries ... attack Turkey's will to use its sovereign rights," Erdogan said.
Russians in Far East region protest arrest of regional governor
Russian policemen escort arrest governor of Khabarovsk territory Sergei Furgal to Basmanny district court in Moscow, Russia Friday. Sergei Furgal was arrested Thursday on charges connected to several contract killings of businessmen, his business partners in 2004-2005. On Saturday tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated across Khabarovsk in opposition to the arrest, which critics say was politically motivated. Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE
July 11 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of people protested in the Far East region of Russia Saturday, calling for the resignation of President Vladimir Putin and demanding the release of a regional governor arrested recently on murder charges.
The protests in Khabarovsk, a city bordering China, and numerous other towns were the largest in the area in many years.
Some demonstrations were comparable in size to those last summer in Moscow, where most street protests opposing Putin's regime have taken place.
On Thursday Sergei I. Furgai, the governor of Khabarovsk Krai, a sprawling region that spans the Chinese frontier to the Arctic along the Pacific region, was arrested near his home in Khabarovsk city on suspicion of involvement in multiple murders in the early 2000s.
Furgal took office in 2018 after defeating a Kremlin-endorsed candidate, and critics said the arrest, which comes less than two weeks after a referendum that gave Putin the ability to serve beyond his term limits, is an attempt to suppress opposition to Putin.
Russian policemen escort arrest governor of Khabarovsk territory Sergei Furgal to Basmanny district court in Moscow, Russia Friday. Sergei Furgal was arrested Thursday on charges connected to several contract killings of businessmen, his business partners in 2004-2005. On Saturday tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated across Khabarovsk in opposition to the arrest, which critics say was politically motivated. Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE
July 11 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of people protested in the Far East region of Russia Saturday, calling for the resignation of President Vladimir Putin and demanding the release of a regional governor arrested recently on murder charges.
The protests in Khabarovsk, a city bordering China, and numerous other towns were the largest in the area in many years.
Some demonstrations were comparable in size to those last summer in Moscow, where most street protests opposing Putin's regime have taken place.
On Thursday Sergei I. Furgai, the governor of Khabarovsk Krai, a sprawling region that spans the Chinese frontier to the Arctic along the Pacific region, was arrested near his home in Khabarovsk city on suspicion of involvement in multiple murders in the early 2000s.
Furgal took office in 2018 after defeating a Kremlin-endorsed candidate, and critics said the arrest, which comes less than two weeks after a referendum that gave Putin the ability to serve beyond his term limits, is an attempt to suppress opposition to Putin.
COVID-19: Serbia arrests 71 in protest over handling of pandemic
By Sommer Brokaw
Police face off with protestors during the protest against the strict measures to fight the coronavirus in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday. Photo by Andrej Cukic/EPA-EFE
July 11 (UPI) -- Serbian police said they've arrested 71 people involved in protests over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters began taking to the streets Tuesday after President Aleksandar Vučić announced that Belgrade would be placed on a weekend curfew to curb COVID-19 spread. Vučić also declared that more than 2 million people will need to be vaccinated before the fall to prepare for a second wave of the virus.
The protests quickly morphed into a wider movement against Vučić's alleged mismanagement of the pandemic despite his decision to suspend a second shutdown. Protesters said they were angry about government steps, such as proceeding with the general election last week, restarting large sport events and reopening nightclubs too early, which they believe led to the need for another lockdown.
Serbian riot police guard the Serbian parliament building during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic
Protests continued for a fourth day Friday. Thousands of people demonstrated in several cities, with protesters in the capital, hurling stones at police in front of Parliament. In Friday's clashes, 14 police officers were injured with 130 police injured since Tuesday.
Some protesters entered the Parliament building Tuesday night before being forced out by police. Film footage later appeared to show police beating unarmed protesters with batons.
Figures on the number of protesters injured have not been released.
Serbia has reported 17,728 cases of COVID-19 and 370 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University global tracker.
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
By Sommer Brokaw
Police face off with protestors during the protest against the strict measures to fight the coronavirus in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday. Photo by Andrej Cukic/EPA-EFE
July 11 (UPI) -- Serbian police said they've arrested 71 people involved in protests over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters began taking to the streets Tuesday after President Aleksandar Vučić announced that Belgrade would be placed on a weekend curfew to curb COVID-19 spread. Vučić also declared that more than 2 million people will need to be vaccinated before the fall to prepare for a second wave of the virus.
The protests quickly morphed into a wider movement against Vučić's alleged mismanagement of the pandemic despite his decision to suspend a second shutdown. Protesters said they were angry about government steps, such as proceeding with the general election last week, restarting large sport events and reopening nightclubs too early, which they believe led to the need for another lockdown.
Serbian riot police guard the Serbian parliament building during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic
Protests continued for a fourth day Friday. Thousands of people demonstrated in several cities, with protesters in the capital, hurling stones at police in front of Parliament. In Friday's clashes, 14 police officers were injured with 130 police injured since Tuesday.
Some protesters entered the Parliament building Tuesday night before being forced out by police. Film footage later appeared to show police beating unarmed protesters with batons.
Figures on the number of protesters injured have not been released.
Serbia has reported 17,728 cases of COVID-19 and 370 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University global tracker.
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police detained 71 people after clashes during the fourth night of anti-government protests against the Serbian president that were initially sparked by his plans to reintroduce a coronavirus lockdown.
Fourteen policemen were injured in the rioting Friday evening when hundreds of right-wing demonstrators tried to storm the parliament building in downtown Belgrade, police director Vladimir Rebic said Saturday. Many demonstrators and several reporters were also injured in the protests.
Hundreds gathered on Saturday for another night of protests when no incidents were reported.
Serbian media reported that among the detained was a former parliament member and one of the leaders of the violent protesters, pro-Russian far-right politician Srdjan Nogo.
Serbian riot police guard the Serbian parliament building during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Fourteen policemen were injured in the rioting Friday evening when hundreds of right-wing demonstrators tried to storm the parliament building in downtown Belgrade, police director Vladimir Rebic said Saturday. Many demonstrators and several reporters were also injured in the protests.
Hundreds gathered on Saturday for another night of protests when no incidents were reported.
Serbian media reported that among the detained was a former parliament member and one of the leaders of the violent protesters, pro-Russian far-right politician Srdjan Nogo.
Serbian riot police guard the Serbian parliament building during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The protesters, defying an anti-virus ban on gatherings, threw bottles, rocks and flares at police who were guarding the parliament building, and police responded with tear gas to disperse the angry crowds.
Similar clashes erupted twice earlier this week. The protests first started when populist President Aleksandar Vucic announced a strict curfew for this weekend to curb a surge in new coronavirus cases in the Balkan country
Vucic later scraped the plan to impose the lockdown. Authorities instead banned gatherings of more than 10 people in Belgrade, the capital, and shortened the working hours of indoor businesses.
Similar clashes erupted twice earlier this week. The protests first started when populist President Aleksandar Vucic announced a strict curfew for this weekend to curb a surge in new coronavirus cases in the Balkan country
Vucic later scraped the plan to impose the lockdown. Authorities instead banned gatherings of more than 10 people in Belgrade, the capital, and shortened the working hours of indoor businesses.
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Many in Serbia accuse the increasingly authoritarian Vucic and his government of letting the virus crisis spin out of control in order to hold a parliamentary election on June 21 that tightened the ruling party’s grip on power.
Vucic has denied this, although authorities had relaxed the rules prior to the vote, allowing massive crowds at soccer games, tennis matches and nightclubs.
Authorities reported 12 new coronavirus deaths on Saturday and 354 new infections, although there have been increasing doubts about the accuracy of the official figures.
The country officially has over 18,000 confirmed infections and 382 deaths since March. Health authorities have warned that Serbian hospitals are almost full due to the latest surge in cases.
Vucic has claimed that unspecified foreign security services were involved in the unrest and pledged he won’t be toppled in the streets. Some opposition leaders, meanwhile, are blaming the rioting on groups they say are controlled by the government to discredit peaceful protests.
Rebic said foreign citizens are among those detained, including people from Montenegro, Bosnia, Britain and Tunisia. He said police are looking into “foreign element in the radicalization of the protests.”
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Pro-government tabloids in Serbia have claimed that Russian intelligence services were behind the unrest that is designed to destabilize the country as Western efforts mount to negotiate an deal normalizing relations with Kosovo, Serbia’s former province whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade still does not recognize.
Serbia is a rare Russian ally in Europe with historically close Slavic ties. The country is bidding to join the European Union after years of crisis and wars in the 1990s. Nationalist and far-right groups in Serbia are opposed to EU membership and want closer ties with Russia instead.
Vucic has denied this, although authorities had relaxed the rules prior to the vote, allowing massive crowds at soccer games, tennis matches and nightclubs.
Authorities reported 12 new coronavirus deaths on Saturday and 354 new infections, although there have been increasing doubts about the accuracy of the official figures.
The country officially has over 18,000 confirmed infections and 382 deaths since March. Health authorities have warned that Serbian hospitals are almost full due to the latest surge in cases.
Vucic has claimed that unspecified foreign security services were involved in the unrest and pledged he won’t be toppled in the streets. Some opposition leaders, meanwhile, are blaming the rioting on groups they say are controlled by the government to discredit peaceful protests.
Rebic said foreign citizens are among those detained, including people from Montenegro, Bosnia, Britain and Tunisia. He said police are looking into “foreign element in the radicalization of the protests.”
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Pro-government tabloids in Serbia have claimed that Russian intelligence services were behind the unrest that is designed to destabilize the country as Western efforts mount to negotiate an deal normalizing relations with Kosovo, Serbia’s former province whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade still does not recognize.
Serbia is a rare Russian ally in Europe with historically close Slavic ties. The country is bidding to join the European Union after years of crisis and wars in the 1990s. Nationalist and far-right groups in Serbia are opposed to EU membership and want closer ties with Russia instead.
The Russian foreign ministry has vehemently denied any involvement in the latest protests in Serbia.
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
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