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India’s Daily COVID-19 Cases Below 100,000 First Time Since April

NEW DELHI: India’s daily coronavirus infections have dipped below 100,000 for the first time in more than two months, as an overall downturn prompted some states to ease restrictions.

The 86,498 cases added in the past 24 hours pushed India’s total past 29 million on Tuesday (Jun 8), second only to the United States, which has more than 33 million.

The health ministry also reported 2,123 new fatalities in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll to 351,309.

India peaked at adding more than 400,000 cases a day in May, but new infections and deaths have declined across the country since then.

The downturn has led some states to ease restrictions on commercial activities to spur consumption. Multiple states have, however, extended lockdowns and have been reluctant to reopen.

Meanwhile, the federal government has said it will take over vaccine procurement from the states and ensure vaccines are provided free of cost to every adult Indian.

India’s vaccination drive has been marred by delays and shortages. Less than 5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

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Biden Nears His Vaccination Goal Date

President Biden has less than a month left to reach perhaps his toughest coronavirus vaccination goal yet.

Biden’s objective is to give 70 percent of the U.S. adult population at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4, even as the pace of vaccinations slows and those without their shots are increasingly hesitant to get them or are harder to reach.

“I don’t think it is against the odds,” said William Galston, a senior fellow of governance studies at the Brookings Institution who also served as a policy adviser in the Clinton White House. “It’s what’s known in the business community as a ‘stretch goal.’ If the administration is very well organized and focused, there’s a pretty good chance they can get there.”

At the same time, the White House has also turned its attention to the arduous task of vaccinating the globe, which experts say is necessary to stop the virus and its dangerous variants from circulating.

The president has thus far been rewarded by the public for his coronavirus response, which has been his administration’s principle focus since he took office. Biden had set realistic, achievable vaccine goals in the first months of his administration as a way to measure his response to the virus.

And there has been good news on the virus front with large numbers of Americans getting vaccinated: COVID-19 cases and deaths fell to their lowest levels since March 2020 over the past week.

About 63 percent of the U.S. adult population has received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Approximately the same percentage of Americans approve of Biden’s response to the coronavirus crisis, according to an average of polling from FiveThirtyEight.

“I think the American people are right to give him high marks,” Galston said. “There were a few glitches in the beginning — no surprise there. But it’s been a no drama, high achievement effort.

The White House is now ramping up efforts to incentivize vaccinations, address concerns about the shots and make it as easy as possible for Americans to get vaccinated as it looks to reach the remainder of the population.

“I give the administration tremendous credit for what they have done to date. The challenge we have is now, this really is almost a person-by-person recruitment effort,” said Michael Osterholm, a prominent epidemiologist who served on Biden’s coronavirus advisory board during the transition. “It takes a lot of work to get this last percentage of people vaccinated, and we know there will be a core group of people who will just under no circumstances get vaccinated.”

As part of a “national month of action” in June, the White House is partnering with a variety of organizations and businesses to reach the holdouts. Major day cares will offer free child care for parents getting vaccinated, Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons will offer information on vaccines and host vaccination events and Vice President Harris will spearhead a national tour to promote vaccinations.

The White House has also promoted private-sector initiatives, such as sweepstakes launched by Kroger, CVS and United Airlines for vaccinated individuals.

Officials have raised concerns about low vaccination levels in the South, where Harris will focus her travel. Poll after poll shows a partisan divide on vaccinations, with Republicans less likely to seek the shot.

“The greatest challenge is the polarization challenge,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “Getting vaccinated has almost become like a political test.”

Payne said Biden needs “Republican validators” in former President Trump’s orbit to help with vaccination.

The White House, he added, has “to make sure that the efficacy of the message isn’t wearing off.”

A number of prominent Republicans have encouraged vaccines, including former President George W. Bush and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Trump has also endorsed the vaccine while indicating he respects people’s “freedom” to choose whether to get vaccinated.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday that the administration would do everything in its power to reach Biden’s July 4 goal. Asked about the low vaccination rates in the South, she said that local leaders, such as physicians and clergy, are the best messengers for those wary of the vaccine.

“Ultimately, this is going to be up to individuals to get shots in their arms. We can take every creative step we possibly can take. We also understand we don’t have 100 percent control here, but we’re going to do everything we can from the federal government to reach that goal,” Psaki said.

Getting as many people vaccinated as possible is also important to hastening the economic recovery, which showed signs of accelerating during the month of May as more people returned to in-person activities and the U.S. economy added 559,000 jobs, a significant improvement over the disappointing April employment report.

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Biden argued in a speech on Friday that his agenda laid the groundwork for the jobs growth, while appealing for more Americans to get vaccinated.

“Now is the time to build on the foundation we laid because while our progress is undeniable, it is not assured,” he said, pushing for his $4 trillion economic plan. “This much is already clear: We’re on the right track. Our plan is working, and we’re not going to let up now.”

White House officials have highlighted the fact that a dozen states have already met or exceeded Biden’s goal for 70 percent of adults to have at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine. And with enough vaccines in the domestic supply, the administration this week began shipping millions of doses overseas in order to help countries in need.

Osterholm described the goal as an aspirational but realistic benchmark to understand how the U.S. is doing nationally when it comes to the virus response and credited the Biden administration with far exceeding its initial goal of administering 100 million doses in the president’s first 100 days in office.

“In order to understand where we’re going, we have to have a goal,” he said.

Osterholm said that Biden’s next focus should be getting 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated, noting the dangers of a new variant against which studies show one dose is not as effective. He also described the administration’s move toward boosting global vaccinations as a critical first step in a long journey to ending the pandemic worldwide.

“From the global standpoint, you want to protect the integrity and protection of our vaccines, the last thing that you want is more variants to come out,” he said. “This is why it is so urgent to get the world vaccinated, not just some of the world.”

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More Than 800 Global Organized Crime Arrests After High Tech Sting Op.

Reuters

Global law enforcement agencies hacked into an app used by criminals and read millions of encrypted messages, leading to hundreds of arrests of organised crime figures in 18 countries, officials said on Tuesday.

The operation by Australian and European police and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation ensnared suspects in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East involved in the global narcotics trade, the officials said.

Over 800 suspected members of organised crime gangs were arrested and $148 million in cash seized in raids around the world. Tons of drugs were also seized, the officials said.

Named Operation Trojan Shield by the FBI, it was one of the biggest infiltrations and takeovers of a specialised encrypted network.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the operation “struck a heavy blow against organised crime – not just in this country, but one that will echo … around the world”.

“This is a watershed moment in Australian law enforcement history,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said police there had arrested 224 people, including members of outlawed motorcycle gangs, while New Zealand said it had detained 35 people.

In Europe, officials said 75 Swedish suspects were arrested and over 60 detained in Germany. Forty nine were arrested in Holland.

The operation was conceived by Australian police and the FBI in 2018, under which officials in the United States took control of the An0m messaging app used by organised crime networks.

When an Australian underworld figure began distributing customised phones containing the app to his associates as a secure means to communicate, police could monitor their messages. The gangs believed the system was secure because the phones did not have any other capabilities – no voice or camera functions were loaded – and the app was encrypted.

Criminal groups in more than 100 countries were given the phones, an FBI official said.

“We have been in the back pockets of organised crime,” Kershaw said at the media briefing. “All they talk about is drugs, violence, hits on each other, innocent people who are going to be murdered.”

The messages were brazen and there was no attempt to hide behind any kind of code, he said.

“It was there to be seen, including ‘we’ll have a speedboat meet you at this point’, ‘this is who will do this’ and so on.”

MARKED MAN

Kershaw said the Australian underworld figure, who had absconded from the country, had “essentially set up his own colleagues” by distributing the phones and was a marked man.

“The sooner he hands himself in, the better for him and his family,” he said.

One murder plot that authorities got to know of involved plans to attack a cafe with a machine gun, while a family of five was also targeted. Authorities said they were able to prevent these attacks.

Executing Australia’s largest number of search warrants in one day, police on Monday seized 104 firearms, including a military-grade sniper rifle, as well as almost A$45 million ($34.9 million) in cash. Around A$7 million was found in one safe buried beneath a garden shed in a Sydney suburb.

A total of 525 charges have been laid but authorities expect more in the coming weeks.

($1 = 1.2893 Australian dollars)

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World View:Pipeline Ransom Recovered, Israel City Tense, Capitol Riot Report, More

June 4, 2021

Alternate text

The Associated Press

The Rundown

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief executive of the massive fuel pipeline hit by ransomware last month is expected to detail his company’s response to the cyberattack and to explain his decision to authorize a multimillion-dollar payment when he testifies…Read More

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Democrats and voting rights groups scrambled Monday to figure out their next move after a key senator’s opposition seemed to doom a sweeping election overhaul bill and raise the prospect that no voting legislation would pass Congress amid what expe…Read More

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LOD, Israel (AP) — Israeli security forces guard the streets of Lod, weeks after rioters torched patrol cars, synagogues and homes. Attackers who killed an Arab and a Jewish resident are still at large. …Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has uncovered broad government, military and law enforcement missteps before the violent attack, including a breakdown within multiple intelligence agencies and…Read More

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Six years had passed since Glenda Valdez kissed her toddler goodbye and left for the United States — six years since she held Emely in her arms. But here she was, at Texas’ Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, tearfully embr…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Authorities in Australia and New Zealand said Tuesday they’ve dealt a huge blow to organized crime after hundreds of criminals were tricked int…Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than half done, and U.S. officials say that while it could be completed by July 4, the final exit of equipment …Read More

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament speaker has scheduled a vote for Sunday on a new government that would end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year rule, the longest …Read More

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES — Summer mov…Read More

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Global Inequalities: ‘COVID-19 Crisis Demands Human-Centred Policies’- ILO Director-General

The ILO’s Director-General told delegates at the opening virtual plenary sitting of the International Labour Conference that human-centred policies, such as those outlined in the ILO Centenary Declaration, are key to a sustainable and inclusive global pandemic response

Geneva (ILO NEWS)  The “cataclysmic” effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world of work has highlighted the necessity of human-centred recovery policies, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has told delegates at the first plenary sitting of the 109th International Labour Conference  (ILC).

He underlined the consequences of the “multiple and growing inequalities in our societies” the pandemic has exposed and the past failure to address them over time.

“The sum of human suffering caused by the pandemic is all the greater for that collective failure. In this house of social justice we, more than most, need to draw conclusions from this,” he said.

Ryder acknowledged the efforts and commitment of governments to do whatever it takes to overcome the health crisis and mitigate its social and economic consequences. He told delegates that it was “extraordinarily important that this Conference takes place… as people across the globe hope and reach for a recovery that leads to a resilient, sustainable, fairer, and better future.”

The Director-General reminded delegates that the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work , adopted by the ILC in 2019, gives an agreed and highly-valued roadmap for “constructing a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis .”

“The pandemic has highlighted just how inextricably health, social and economic, financial, trade, and intellectual property policy is really linked… We need to lever that realization to forge better multilateral system coherence on a permanent basis, just as the Centenary Declaration urged us to do.”

“The adoption by this Conference of an outcome document calling for, and shaping, a global response for such a human-centred recovery will be of the very greatest value,” he said.

The plenary sitting of the ILC was also addressed by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, who said the ILC was “particularly important… at a time when our labour markets are still in shock and when we must continue to support our economies, our jobs and our population.”

The President called upon delegates to “work tirelessly” to implement the ILO’s Centenary Declaration, which “guides us on the measures to be taken to ensure that the recovery of our economies takes a significant, social and human-centred approach.”

“Let us abandon the standstill, fear and fear of innovation to seize the opportunities that any crisis offers us. The crisis is forcing us to new interdependencies, particularly between health, environment, education, finance, digital, work and social. These interdependencies require more cooperation. Between governments first, but also with social partners,” he said.

At the first plenary sitting, the Chairperson of the Governing Body, Apurva Chandra, Secretary of Labour, India also presented his report, covering two years’ work. The Presidents of the ILC’s Employers and Workers groups, Renate Hornung-Draus, Germany and Catelene Passchier, Netherlands made opening statements.

During this session of the ILC, delegates will debate a COVID-19 outcome document that will provide guidance on policies for a human-centred recovery from the crisis. They will also discuss social protection, a critically important subject at a time when the inadequacies of current systems have been so cruelly exposed by the crisis.

The ILC will further undertake its regular supervision of the application of international labour standards.

More than 4,300 delegates from 175 ILO Member States have registered to attend the ILC, which is being held virtually for the first time because of the COVID-19 crisis. The official Conference opening was held on 20 May, when the Conference Officers were elected. This segment will close on 19 June, and a second segment of the 109th ILC is scheduled for 25 November to 11 December 2021 when issues of inequalities and skills and lifelong learning will be discussed.

The ILC plenary sessions are being broadcast via the ILO’s website. Coverage is also being disseminated via YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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'There will be reprisals': Police warning after global crime ring smashed

Police have warned of reprisals and conflict following a major operation that led to the arrest of more than 100 leading crime figures.

Operation Ironside was part of a global policing operation and involved the use of a secret encrypted app to catch criminals.

More than 4000 officers from the Australian Federal Police, state and territories forces were involved in the operation, which secretly began three years ago.

READ MORE: Police uncover nearly $87m worth of ice in major NSW drug bust

An app named ANoM was installed on mobile phones that could only send messages to another device that had the organised crime app.

"Today, the Australian Government, as part of a global operation, has struck a heavy blow against organised crime – not just in this country, but one that will echo around organised crime around the world," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

"This is a watershed moment in Australian law enforcement history."

Operation Ironside led to the arrest of 224 offenders on 526 charges in every mainland Australian state.

Those facing charges include members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, Australian Mafia, Asian crime syndicates and serious and organised crime groups.

Property seized included 3.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 weapons, $44,934,457 million in cash and assets expected to run into millions of dollars.

https://twitter.com/AusFedPolice/status/1402149858857820162

The AFP said it also acted on 20 threats to kill, potentially saving the lives of a significant number of innocent bystanders, with intelligence handed to state police agencies which took immediate action.

Mr Morrison said further arrests were expected.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said Operation Ironside had left organised crime in Australia reeling.

"Operation Ironside has allowed the AFP to inflict maximum damage to serious organised crime with devastating consequences to those who seek to do harm to Australians and Australia's interests, and today, Australia is a safer country," he said.

Mr Kershaw described those arrested as among the most dangerous criminals in Australia.

"We allege they are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, Australian Mafia, Asian crime syndicates and serious and organised crime groups," he said.

"We allege they've been trafficking illicit drugs into Australia at an industrial scale."

Mr Kershaw said the AFP and FBI secretly used an encrypted platform known as AN0M during the operation.

The encrypted communications – which allegedly included plots to kill, mass drug trafficking and gun distribution – were decrypted from a platform covertly run by the FBI.

The app AN0M was installed on mobile phones that were stripped of other capabilities.

The mobile phones, which were bought on the black market, could not make calls or send emails.

3.7 tonnes of drugs have been seized under Operation Ironside since 2018.

It could only send messages to another device that had the organised crime app.

Criminals needed to know a criminal to get a device.

The devices organically circulated and grew in popularity among criminals, who were confident of the legitimacy of the app because high-profile organised crime figures vouched for its integrity.

"These criminal influencers put the AFP in the back pocket of hundreds of alleged offenders," Mr Kershaw said.

Speaking alongside Mr Kershaw, FBI representative Anthony Russo said the operation was an example of how global cooperation between police forces could smash organised crime.

"The criminals should be on notice that law enforcement and partnerships all over the world are resolute in their dedication to collaboration and to continue to evolve our capabilities," Mr Russo said.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said the expansion of strike forces had been carried out in anticipation of what would follow Ironside.

"There will be reprisals, there will be debts owed, there will be conflict, there will be somebody trying to step up," he said.

Since Sunday, with 1000 officers in the field, NSW Police carried out 33 search warrants across the state and arrested 35 people.

About $10 million in cash has been seized in the past week and a half, including $7 million from a floor safe in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville.

There were also 27 high-end firearms seized, including a .50 calibre "military-grade" sniper rifle from the regional town of Mudgee.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the operation had been carefully planned with international law enforcement bodies.

"Our Australian Federal Police has worked hand-in-glove with US FBI to bring down some of the most significant criminals – not just here in Australia, but right around the world."

"The relationship we've been able to draw on, particularly with the FBI but other agencies across the world, has led to the most significant operation in policing history here in Australia.

"It is an ongoing operation. The operation puts Australia at the forefront of the fight against criminals who peddle in misery."

Across Victoria, hundreds of officers carried out 37 search warrants and conducted 32 arrests.

Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said he was confident the data collected by Operation Ironside could help solve unsolved homicides.

He said many of the arrests had targeted people associated with the Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang, with nine patched members in cuffs, including the group's sergeant-at-arms.

Drugs, millions of dollars in cash, weapons and cars were all seized.

Across South Australia, 40 arrests were made yesterday as more than 460 police searched 80 residential and business premises.

Among the seizures carried out were $1.9 million in cash, 90kg of high-grade methamphetamines with a street value of $45 million and 350kg of cannabis.

Police also seized luxury goods incluing Louis Vuitton accessories and wine collections worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A number of those arrested were office-bearers in bikie gangs, particularly the Comancheros.

As part of the global investigation, New Zealand police also arrested 35 people after raids across the North Island today.

They will appear in court today on charges of drug dealing, money laundering and other conspiracy charges.

The arrests were part of a New Zealand police operation into the importation of cocaine into the country before it was forwarded to Australia.

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US FDA Approves New Alzheimer’s Drug

By Justine Coleman
The Hill

 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday granted approval for the first new Alzheimer’s treatment since 2003.

The decision comes as the debate over whether to approve Biogen’s drug Aducanumab has stirred controversy, with some Alzheimer’s experts and an independent advisory committee opposing approval saying there’s not enough evidence that the drug is effective.

In a statement, a top FDA official on Monday said it decided to use an “accelerated approval” process to make drugs and therapies available to patients enduring “serious diseases where there is an unmet need” and “an expectation of clinical benefit.”

“In determining that the application met the requirements for Accelerated Approval, the Agency concluded that the benefits of Aduhelm for patients with Alzheimer’s disease outweighed the risks of the therapy,” Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the statement.

The agency called the demand for treatments “urgent” as Alzheimer’s affects more than 6 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.

Aducanumab, also known by the brand name Aduhelm, is considered the first treatment to register progress in removing protein deposits called amyloid beta plaques in the brain at the onset of Alzheimer’s, slowing cognitive decline.

The FDA usually follows its advisory committees’ recommendations, but this time it strayed from the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee’s recommendation in November to overwhelmingly reject Biogen’s drug.

With the accelerated approval, Biogen will be required to conduct another trial to prove the clinical benefit of its drug. The FDA could take steps to remove the drug from the market if the benefit is not proven.

“We believe that the data supports accelerated approval, while holding the company accountable for conducting an additional study to confirm the benefits observed in one of the trials, which we fully intend to do,” Cavazzoni told reporters on a press call Monday.

Two earlier clinical trials examined by the FDA produced conflicting results regarding the efficacy of the drug.

The FDA acknowledged it is “well-aware of the attention surrounding this approval,” noting the uncertainties in the data about the clinical benefit of the drug.

“There has been considerable public debate on whether Aduhelm should be approved,” the FDA said. “As is often the case when it comes to interpreting scientific data, the expert community has offered differing perspectives.”

Biogen’s chief executive Michel Vounatsos said in a statement that Aducanumab “will transform the treatment of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and spark continuous innovation in the years to come.”

The drugmaker, along with Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, announced a price for Aduhelm on Monday, saying the cost will amount to a yearly cost of about $56,000 per patient. The two partnering companies said they would not increase the price of Aduhelm over the next four years.

The FDA’s announcement on Monday drew mixed reactions from advocacy groups.

Alzheimer’s Association President and CEO Harry Johns celebrated the decision, calling it “a victory for people living with Alzheimer’s and their families.”

“It is a new day,” Johns said in a statement. “This approval allows people living with Alzheimer’s more time to live better. For families it means being able to hold on to their loved ones longer. It is about reinvigorating scientists and companies in the fight against this scourge of a disease. It is about hope.”

But Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, condemned the FDA’s decision, arguing the “close collaboration” between Biogen and the agency “dangerously compromised” the agency’s review process.

He said the decision warrants an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

“The FDA’s decision shows a stunning disregard for science and eviscerates the agency’s standards for approving new drugs,” Carome said in a statement. “Because of this reckless action, the agency’s credibility has been irreparably damaged.”

The Hill has reached out to Biogen and the FDA for comment.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, tweeted that the approval gives patients and their families “renewed hope.”

She argued that the Democrats’ bill to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, H.R. 3, would inhibit innovation and prevent new medicines similar to Aduhelm from reaching the public. 

“We need more biomedical innovation so patients have a fighting chance,” she posted. “That’s why we must stop Speaker Pelosi’s radical drug pricing scheme for #FewerCures. It would halt innovation in its tracks.

Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), assert that negotiated prices would make drugs more accessible and affordable. 

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Inside Costco's latest $60 million warehouse

Supermarket giant Costco's newest Australian store is a $60 million 14,000 square metre warehouse – the 13th in the country.

Located in Lake Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast, it will service a vast area from the Central Coast, Hunter Valley, Newcastle and beyond.

When completed in mid-August, it will take $20 million to fill it with everything from fresh meat and produce to clothing, appliances, and even diamond rings.

NSW Costco hubNSW Costco hub

It will also employ 250 people, with hiring already underway.

In an exclusive interview with 9News, Costco managing director Patrick Noone said a new location on Sydney's Northern Beaches is also being scouted.

"If we could find the land and do a deal, we'd go into planning right away," Mr Noone said.

But the roadblocks to opening up more sites, especially in Sydney, include finding land large enough, at the right price, and then having to brave local councils.

The other holdup is time. It typically takes three years from identifying a site to opening the doors.

Competitor IGA also has plans to open in Sydney, with a number of its warehouse-style Supa Value stores on the cards.

"Costco's a very successful global retailer. It focuses on bulk buying and therefore lower unit pricing," QUT retail expert Professor Gary Mortimer told 9News.

"I think Costco would be concerned that other players are now looking at this business model and replicating."

NSW Costco hub

But Mr Noone said he welcomes the competition.

"Competition is good. It makes everyone a bit sharper. Keeps everybody on their game," he said.

"In the end, if we sell merchandise at a better fairer price for the Australian public, the public wins."

Outside of Sydney's Northern Beaches Costco is also eyeing sites in Wollongong and new locations in virtually every capital city over the next decade.

"We're still scratching the surface here, there's lots more growth out there," Mr Noone said.

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Mexico Elections: Women Score Historic Wins

Women were poised to win a record number of state governors’ offices in Mexican mid-term elections, capturing territory long dominated by men and giving them a bigger political platform to reach the presidency one day.

Preliminary tallies by electoral authorities on Monday showed female candidates securing six of the 15 regional bastions on offer, just two shy of the total number of women ever elected to lead regional governments in Mexico’s history.

Five of the six went to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), which dominated the state votes, even as the leftist party’s hold on the lower house of Congress weakened.

If results are confirmed, it means the northern border states of Baja California and Chihuahua, Guerrero and Colima on the Pacific coast, as well as Tlaxcala in the center and Campeche in the south, will be governed by women.

“This is a cultural shift,” said MORENA lawmaker Gabriela Cuevas, the first Mexican to head the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global body of national parliaments. “And definitely a step forward for women in our country and in political life.”

Only eight women had previously won regional elections, including the current mayor of Mexico City, MORENA’s Claudia Sheinbaum, who is regarded as one of the favorites to succeed Lopez Obrador as president.

Since Griselda Alvarez was chosen to run Colima in 1979 – a few weeks after Margaret Thatcher made history as Britain’s first woman Prime Minister – Mexico’s handful of female governors very rarely overlapped with other women in the job.

Now seven out of the 32 regional governments, including Mexico City, will be run by women simultaneously.

That is likely to create space for a different kind of politics where women’s concerns gain in prominence, said Francisco Abundis, head of Mexican polling firm Parametria.

That was especially true as three of the new governors are under 40 and may have long careers ahead of them, he noted.

VOTER STRENGTH

The latest national census showed there are roughly 3 million more women than men among Mexico’s population of 126 million, and political leaders are increasingly at pains to ensure equal representation in government.

Lopez Obrador made history in 2018 by appointing a cabinet split evenly between men and women, though he has come under fire from women’s groups for failing to take seriously enough issues like domestic violence and abortion rights.

Many women were angry about Lopez Obrador’s support for MORENA’s original candidate for Guerrero, Felix Salgado, whose campaign was dogged by rape accusations.

Salgado denied the allegations but was eventually forced out of the race by electoral authorities for campaign finance irregularities. He was replaced by his daughter Evelyn, who won Guerrero on Sunday night, the results showed.

Some Mexicans argue that male domination is still too deeply entrenched in the country for a female president to be realistic as soon as 2024, when the next election is due.

“Because of the macho mentality,” argued Gypsy Lara, a 29-year-old business owner in Mexico City who said she would be happy to back Sheinbaum for president.

Sheinbaum, whose popularity took a hit last month over a metro accident that killed 26 people, had a tough night on Sunday with MORENA suffering shock losses in city elections.

Despite the setbacks, the 58-year-old is still one of the strongest candidates for the presidency, said Abundis.

“I think (female candidates) will be one of the cards to play in 2024,” he said. “With everything we’re seeing in terms of gender-based movements in the country and the world, in Mexico it’s more of a contrast with the whole macho tradition.”

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El Salvador President’s Bitcoin Plan Casts Shadow Over IMF Efforts

Reuters

A push by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to make his country the first in the world to formally adopt bitcoin as legal tender has sparked concerns about the outlook for its program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Bukele said on Saturday he will send a bitcoin bill to Congress in days to come, touting its potential to help Salvadorans living abroad send remittances home.

El Salvador’s top trade official said the U.S. dollar would continue to be legal tender, underscoring that bitcoin transactions would be by choice and tied to the dollar exchange rate.

This could further complicatethe Central American country’s quest to seek a more than $1 billion-program with the IMF. In May, Bukele’s party strained relations with Washington when it ousted five Supreme Court judges and the top prosecutor.

Trade and Investment Minister Miguel Kattan said bitcoin was already in limited use in El Salvador, even to buy pupusas, the national street snack.

“The ability to do operations with bitcoin should not spark concern,” Kattan told a news conference.

Still, analysts saw problems with the move to bitcoin.

“Recent tweets from President Bukele to fully embrace bitcoin as legal tender will likely further complicate and delay IMF technical discussions,” said Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed income strategy at Amherst Pierpoint Securities.

“This may just reflect a long-term initiative or maybe even just a flashy PR tactic; however it shows lack of coordination with impulsive announcements that contradict a cohesive economic plan,” she said, adding Salvadorian bonds faced a Bukele risk premium of as much as 75 basis points over comparable Costa Rica bonds.

JPMorgan EMBI global diversified index showed the premium investors demanded to hold El Salvador hard-currency bonds over U.S. Treasuries widening by 28 basis points to 610 bps (.JPMEGDELSR). The 21-day average is a move under 1.3 bps daily.

El Salvador’s dollarized economy relies heavily on money sent back from expatriate workers. World Bank data showed remittances to the country made up nearly $6 billion or around a fifth of GDP in 2019, one of the highest ratios in the world.

The IMF’s head of mission for El Salvador, Alina Carare, said late on Monday that the fund is “following the news and will have more information as we continue our consultations with the authorities.”

Carlos de Sousa, a portfolio managers at Vontobel Asset Management, said the bitcoin push looked ill-considered with Bukele potentially shooting himself in the foot by making the raising of tax revenue more difficult.

“Cryptocurrencies are overall a very easy way to avoid taxation and a very easy way to simply avoid the authorities because it’s a completely decentralised system, you can do money laundering, you can do tax avoidance and so on,” he said, adding it remained to be seen what the IMF thought of Bukele’s foray.

“Typically, he gets a lot of positive reactions on Twitter and the reactions to this were kind of like ‘Mr. President, okay, where we can read about this? What does it mean?’ – so people don’t really understand.”

Bukele changed his Twitter profile picture over the weekend to give himself red laser eyes used by supporters of cryptocurrencies on social media.

“Satellite infrastructure to be built, helping rural El Salvadorans connect to the internet, and thereby Bitcoin network, in places where land-based connectivity is poor. @Blockstream plans to contribute their expertise and tech to make the nation a model for the world,” Bukele said on Twitter on Monday, in a retweet of a Documenting Bitcoin @DocumentingBTC post.

Justin Sun, founder and chief executive officer of TRON, a blockchain-based company focused on building a decentralized internet, said his firm would become the “first crypto organization” to establish an office in El Salvador.

The post El Salvador President’s Bitcoin Plan Casts Shadow Over IMF Efforts appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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New survey reveals Australia's favourite supermarket roast chicken

The humble roast chicken has become a dining room stable across Australia, and now a new survey has found which supermarket chook rules the roost.

Consumer research group Canstar Blue has put in the hard yards, surveying more than 1,500 Aussies to see which major supermarket chicken takes home the top spot.

The results are a surprise to some, with Megan Birot from Canstar revealing their testing criteria, roasting each chicken for its taste, freshness, packaging, and value for money.

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Supermarket giants Coles and Woolies' scoring the lowest with both their $10 chickens getting three stars for overall satisfaction and taste. Last year's winner IGA was pushed down to second place with four stars overall at $11.50.

The annual ratings in the poultry category reportedly one of the most sought-after product reviews by both customers and food outlets.

"We went out and we surveyed 1500 consumers to ask them to rate the roast chickens they've recently purchased from the major supermarkets," Ms Birot told 9News.

Surprisingly, supermarket giants Coles and Woolies scored the lowest, with both their $10 chickens getting three stars for overall satisfaction and taste.

The Coles RSPCA-approved roast scored slightly higher in the value for money category, landing a four.

Reigning-champion IGA was pushed down to second place, with its $11.50 bird rating four stars overall.

Leaving newcomer Costco's $6.99 chickens to surprisingly take out the top spot, landing a perfect score across all categories.

Newcomer Costco's $6.99 chickens took out the top spot, landing a perfect score across all categories.

However, poultry perfection comes with a price as shoppers needed to get an annual $60 membership to access the growing number of national stores.

Canstar said the weekly savings on chicken alone is enough to justify the price.

"If you shop there regularly, then you've already got your money back on your membership, and that's just a great option to save on your weekly dinner," Ms Birot told 9News.