image captionPop newcomer Olivia Rodrigo won three prizes, including song of the year
The MTV Video Music Awards returned to New York on Sunday, with major wins for pop stars old and new.
Sparks flew before the ceremony when Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor and rapper Machine Gun Kelly were involved in an altercation on the red carpet.
Olivia Rodrigo then won best new artist and best song for Drivers License, while Justin Bieber won best artist.
The main award, video of the year, went to Lil Nas X for his single Montero (Call Me by Your Name).
“Let’s go, gay agenda”, hollered the rapper, who has made LGBT-positive messaging and imagery a central component of his music.
The 22-year-old, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, also gave one of the night’s best performances, segueing from a marching band introduction to a lurid pink prison scene where, for good measure, he stripped to his boxer shorts and twerked in a shower.
The PML-N has emerged as the largest party in Punjab.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed to win even a single seat across the province.
Shehbaz Sharif congratulates the entire nation and the successful candidates.
LAHORE: The PML-N has emerged as the largest party in Punjab by winning 51 of the 113 wards in the province, according to the unofficial results of the cantonment board elections.
As per the unofficial results of 113 wards, where elections were held on Sunday, PML-N won 51 seats, followed by PTI with 28 seats. However, independent candidates emerged victorious on 32 seats in the province.
Jamaat-e-Islami managed to secure two seats in the cantonment board elections. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed to win even a single seat across the province.
In Multan Cantonment Board, independent candidates grabbed nine of the 10 seats. However, the remaining one seat was secured by the PML-N candidate
Shehbaz Sharif congratulates party leaders on their success
Meanwhile, PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif congratulated his party’s leaders on their success in the cantonment elections.
According to a statement attributed to the PML-N president on Twitter, he called up the leaders of the party and expressed his appreciation for them. He praised the members, leaders, workers, voters and supporters for their hard work that led to victory, the statement read.
Shehbaz said that by the grace of God, the success the party was achieving is the result of people’s trust and hope in PML-N and its politics.
He congratulated the entire nation and the successful candidates.
He assured the masses that PML-N would do all it takes to meet their expectations and will use an effective strategy and strong conviction to start a new era in politics.
PTI emerges as biggest winner
PTI emerged as the biggest winner in cantonment board elections held across Pakistan on Sunday.
According to the preliminary, unofficial results, PTI obtained 63 seats, closely followed by PML-N which won 59. Independent candidates bagged 52 seats.
Among the Opposition parties, PPP won 17, the Jamaat-e-Islami seven and Awami National Party two. Of the allied parties, MQM won 10, whereas Balochistan Awami Party secured two.
Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar (L) and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif (R). Photo: Geo.tv/ file
Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar believes cantonment polls showed PTI is the “only national party”.
Meanwhile, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif congratulates party’s leaders on success in cantonment elections.
According to unofficial results, PTI secured 63 seats, closely followed by PML-N which won 59 of the total 212 up for grabs.
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Federal Minister Asad Umar believes the cantonment board elections have proved that PTI is the only majority party in the country and that Prime Minister Imran Khan is the only national leader.
In a statement on social networking site Twitter after the polls wrapped up and unofficial results were in, the federal minister said that the PTI won either the highest or second-highest seats in every province in the cantonment board elections.
He said that the PML-N could not get any seat in Balochistan and came in fifth place in Sindh, while the PPP got no seat in Punjab and Balochistan and came third in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Shehbaz congratulates PML-N candidates
Meanwhile, PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif congratulated his party’s leaders on their success in the cantonment elections.
According to a statement attributed to the PML-N president on Twitter, he called up the leaders of the party and expressed his appreciation for them. He praised the members, leaders, workers, voters and supporters for their hard work that led to victory, the statement read.
Shehbaz said that by the grace of God, the success the party was achieving is the result of people’s trust and hope in PML-N and it politics.
He congratulated the entire nation and the successful candidates.
He assured the masses that PML-N would do all it takes to meet their expectations and will use an effective strategy and strong conviction to start a new era in politics.
What were the results?
Unofficial and unverified results of the local body elections of cantonment boards held across the country a day earlier came in last night.
Of the candidates vying for the total 219 wards across 42 cantonment boards, seven candidates were already elected unopposed. Therefore, the race was held for 212 seats. As many as 684 independent candidates from across the country were in the fray, while 876 candidates from political parties were contesting.
PTI emerged as the biggest winner in the cantonment board polls. According to the preliminary, unofficial results, PTI obtained 63 seats, closely followed by PML-N which won 59.
Independent candidates bagged 52 seats.
Among the Opposition parties, PPP won 17, the Jamaat-e-Islami seven and Awami National Party two. Of the allied parties, MQM won 10, whereas Balochistan Awami Party secured two.
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Chrome Oxide, Aluminum Powder, Lime, Others
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PTI supporters out celebrating on the streets in jubilation after the party won the elections in 2018. — AFP
According to unofficial results, PTI secured 63 seats, closely followed by PML-N which won 59 of the total 212 up for grabs.
PTI wins big in KP, PML-N in Punjab.
The ruling PTI fielded the most candidates — 183.
PTI emerged as the biggest winner in cantonment board elections held across Pakistan on Sunday.
According to the preliminary, unofficial results, PTI obtained 63 seats, closely followed by PML-N which won 59.
Independent candidates bagged 52 seats.
Among the Opposition parties, PPP won 17, the Jamaat-e-Islami seven and Awami National Party two.
Of the allied parties, MQM won 10, whereas Balochistan Awami Party secured two.
Province wise results
PTI won the most number of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — 18 — followed by 28 in Punjab, 14 in Sindh and three in Balochistan.
PML-N won big in Punjab, bagging 51 seats, managing only five in KP, three in Sindh and none in Balochistan.
PPP was surprisingly unable to defeat PTI in Sindh, instead tying with them for 14 seats. The remaining three seats were won in KP, meaning none were won in either Punjab or Balochistan.
Independent candidates scored big in Punjab, bagging 32 seats. They secured nine in KP, seven in Sindh and four in Balochistan.
MQM won all of its 10 seats in Sindh, whereas JI won five in Sindh and two in Punjab.
ANP won two seats in KP, whereas BAP won two in Balochistan.
The polls in numbers
In today’s polls, 684 independent candidates from across the country were in the fray while 876 candidates from political parties were contesting.
The highest number of candidates — 183 — were fielded by PTI, while 144 were from PML-N, 113 from PPP, 104 from Jamaat-e-Islami, 42 from Muttahida Qaumi Movement, 35 from Pak Sarzamin Party, 34 from PML-Q and 25 candidates from JUI-F.
Furthermore, 83 candidates of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan also contested the polls.
Of the candidates vying for the total 219 wards across 42 cantonment boards, seven candidates were already elected unopposed. Therefore, the race was held for 212 seats.
In addition, there was no competition in four wards of Kamra, none in one ward of Rawalpindi and none in one ward of Pano Aqil.
The polling process started at 8am and continued till 5pm. Voters inside the polling station were able to cast their votes despite polling time ending. The gates were closed for those queued outside.
Claims of people’s support, victory
Even before the counting of votes across all wards was complete, parties began claiming support shown by people and declaring victory.
PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI “proved” it is the “only party” that enjoys support across the country and in every constituency.
“The real contest today was with the independents. Peoples Party and Noon League’s standing has been exposed,” he added.
He went on to state that the real competition was between PTI and those candidates who were unable to obtain a ticket and contested as independents.
“The results show that whatever meagre standing the Opposition had, has been eradicated and they have been sorely defeated,” the minister said.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb responded by saying: “The cantonment board elections have proved once again that if the RTS does not fail, these vote robbers cannot win. These thieves who have robbed people of flour, sugar, electricity, gas, medicines, and imposed inflation, unemployment, poverty, incompetence and corruption, the PTI, have been rejected by the people. False tweets cannot change the reality.”
Earlier in the evening, PML-N had begun celebrating “success”.
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif thanked God and the people who had shown the party support through their votes in the polls.
“We assure the people that we will not disappoint them and will leave no stone unturned in resolving their hardships and issues,” he said.
“We will take the country on the path to development, progress and prosperity with renewed vigour. InshaAllah,” he added.
PPP’s Murtaza Wahab, meanwhile, declared victory in several wards of Karachi’s Clifton Cantonment Board. He claimed the party has won for the first time from polling stations of PNT Colony in Ward 10 of the Board.
He went on to claim that Ward 9 has also been secured by PPP.
He further claimed PPP’s triumph in Ward 2.
Later, he claimed the party’s victory in all of Ward 10. “Alhamdolillah PPP has emerged as the largest party of CBC so far. Well done PPP workers,” Wahab said.
Past midnight, he summed up the PPP’s performance in the Clifton Cantonment Board by saying that it emerged as the “single largest party” with four councillors out of 10 wards, “while PTI has shrunk to only two councillors”.
“Jamaat-e-Islami has two, while two independents have also been elected. Its clear that residents of CBC have rejected PTI,” he wrote.
Traditional rivalry between competing parties was witnessed earlier too during Sunday’s polling exercise.
Karachi
PPP minister Saeed Ghani shared a video of PTI minister Ali Haider Zaidi visiting a polling station in Karachi’s Faisal Cantt, upon which the Election Commission of Pakistan took notice and issued orders for Zaidi’s expulsion from the NA-244 constituency.
Zaidi, in response, challenged the ECP to prove he had visited any polling station other than where he had cast his vote, vowing that he will resign as a minister, and moreover as an MNA if it is proven.
Zaidi’s arrival at a polling station near the National Stadium was met by loud cheers by PTI workers.
A group of women show off their inked thumbs after they cast their ballot at a polling station in Karachi, for cantonment board elections, on September 12, 2021. — The News/Zahid Rahman
In addition, in Korangi, during PTI MNA Faheem Khan and MPA Raja Izhar’s visit, PPP workers staged a protest and demanded that the ECP take notice of the violation of a code of conduct, since party members are not allowed to visit constituencies until after polling ends.
Meanwhile, MQM Pakistan also complained to the ECP. Wasim Akhtar said that the PPP MPAs are “roaming around” in various localities, where they are “acting like goons”.
He alleged that voter numbers had been fudged in several cantonments.
Furthermore, two fake polling agents were arrested from the Clifton cantonment board.
Lahore
In Lahore’s Ward No 4, clashes occurred between PTI and PML-N workers, who shouted slogans against one another. Moreover, after three days of continuous rains in the city, the polling process was delayed at some polling stations due to accumulated rainwater in different areas.
Multan
In Multan, in the remits of one polling station, rivalry between parties extended to physical blows between voters. Polling was temporarily suspended due to clashes that occurred twice.
Gujranwala
Malik Azad, the PML-N candidate for the Gujranwala cantonment election, while talking to Geo News, alleged that polling staff was preventing the party’s voters from casting their votes.
Azad said that objections were being raised against our votes without any reason. “When I went inside to complain, I was also stopped,” he said.
Clashes occurred between two parties in Gujranwala’s DC Colony as well.
Sargodha
Over at Sargodha, two polling stations of Ward No 9 ended up being set up in graveyards.
It did not deter the arrival of voters, however, who continued to cast their votes despite the unusual venue.
ECP officials said that due to a lack of government buildings, tents had to be put up at the graveyard for two polling stations.
Nowshera
Two people were arrested after being accused of preparing fake ballot papers. Computers, printers and fake stamps were recovered from their possession.
Arrangements
Strict security arrangements were made at all the polling booths. The ECP had directed the provincial governments to install cameras at the most sensitive polling stations and said that presiding officers would announce the results at the polling stations after counting ends. All polling agents and candidates were receive a copy of the result from the Presiding Officer.
Northbrook, IL, USA, 2021-Sep-13 — /EPR Network/ — According to the new market research report “Contrast Media/ Contrast Agent Market by Type (Iodinated Contrast Media), Modality (X-Ray/CT, MRI, and Ultrasound), Application (Radiology), End User (Hospitals), Indication (Cancer), Route of Administration (Oral), Region – Global Forecast to 2026”, published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Contrast Media Market is projected to USD 5.9 billion by 2026 from USD 4.9 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period.
Browse 328 market data Tables and 39 Figures spread through 299 Pages and in-depth TOC on“Contrast Media/Contrast Agent Market”
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The Rising prevalence of chronic diseases, growing approvals of contrast agents, rising volume of CT and MRI examinations performed, growing number of diagnostic centers and hospitals, and availability of reimbursement are the major factors driving the growth of the contrast agents market.
The microbubble contrast media segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period and iodinated contrast media accounted for the largest share in 2020.
Based on type, the contrast media market is segmented into iodinated contrast media, gadolinium-based contrast media, microbubble contrast media, and barum-based contrast media. Iodinated contrast media account for the largest share of the market. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the growing number of angioplasty procedures performed globally.
North America was the largest regional market for the contrast agents market in 2020
The contrast media market is segmented into five major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). North America was the largest regional market in 2020. The large share of the North American market can be attributed to presence of major players in the region, high prevalence of chronic disorders, growing geriatric population, and the increasing adoption of minimally invasive procedures.
However, the Asia Pacific contrast media market is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, the growing demand for quality medical care, increasing healthcare spending and government initiatives, rising disposable income, growth in the medical device industries, and improvements in healthcare infrastructure in Southeast Asian countries are the major factors driving the growth of the market in the Asia Pacific.
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The global contrast media market is consolidated. The prominent players operating in this market include GE Healthcare (US), Bracco Imaging SPA (Italy), Bayer AG (Germany), Guerbet (France), J.B. Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (India), Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. (US), Unijules Life Sciences Ltd. (India), and SANOCHEMIA Pharmazeutika GmbH (Austria).
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Journalists across the country are protesting the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), with a sit-in outside Parliament House entering its second day today (Monday).
The concept of PMDA has been vociferously rejected by all media and journalists bodies, including the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Pakistan Broadcasters Association, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association Pakistan, political parties and international media and journalists bodies as well as media and human rights watchdogs.
The current minister of information, Fawad Chaudhry, however, is determined to go ahead with the controversial PMDA, which he has also tried to push through in the past but fortunately, failed.
Previously it was called the “Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority”.
The following is a Q and A that sheds light on the PMDA and why so many are opposing it.
Why are journalists against the PMDA?
At a time when Pakistan is facing declining media freedom and freedom of expression for the media is ranked at 145 in the world, the introduction of such laws will further worsen the global image of Pakistan.
The controversial law is ill-conceived on all counts: it proposes to set up all media (print, television, radio, films, social media and digital) control under one body, ignoring the fact that each media format has unique dynamics and characteristics that cannot be governed under one authority.
Print, for instance, is under the provincial domain. With 150 TV channels (still growing), over 300 radio stations, 3,000 print publications, numerous digital and social media platforms, 1,000 cable operators, numerous film production houses, it is practically impossible for one authority to govern them.
It will only breed more inefficiency and will lead to corruption as well as stifling healthy discussion and debate which is a must for a growing democracy. Nowhere in the democratic world does such an example exist. Moreover, individual regulatory bodies that regulate respective media platforms already exist.
Besides this, a regulator must be independent of government control. However, governmental control over the appointment and removal process makes this proposed body another bureaucratic addition.
Moreover, a body headed by a serving grade 21-22 officer of the federal government cannot by any means be considered independent.
In the presence of provisions like “power of federal government to issue directives” of binding nature to such a body make it further subservient to the government.
The information ministry says fake news on social media needs to be addressed at all costs and PMDA is, in part, a response to that genuine need.
For social media and digital platforms, in reference to fake news and hate speech, there are cybercrime and defamation laws, which the government uses when it’s in its own interest.
Moreover, by trying to control YouTube channels, Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, the government will stifle free speech. It is practically impossible to regulate digital mediums. The platforms that these accounts are run from do not have any on ground presence in Pakistan and the platforms are not inclined to remove content that falls under freedom of speech.
Fake news on social media can only be dealt with through strong defamation laws, which is the case throughout the world. Pakistan has cybercrime laws but there is a backlog of cases as well as weak implementation.
Platforms such as Facebook have strong monitoring and if fake news is reported to them, they do remove copyright/fake/videos depicting violence. Their monitoring is strong and efficient and a better use would be to look into how they can aid in controlling fake news.
Additionally, there are available applications that the government can develop and use to monitor if fake news is being posted online. There are a lot of tried and tested avenues but it seems as if with this government the issue is not of law and rules but of control and power. There are a few in the government who want to control through a one-shop stop for vested concentrated power.
The information ministry says that media owners are against PMDA because there is a proposal for Media Tribunals (media courts) that will address issues between workers and media houses, to help workers get his or her rights.
The ministry is trying to divide and conquer by saying that they are setting up tribunals so that their wage interests can be looked after.
In the first place, worker rights tribunals already exist.
Additionally, there are labour courts and other courses of action for the settlement of worker disputes. The Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) exists and so do the NIRC and wage commissioners.
The setting up of media tribunals is not for workers, but a facade. The aim is to bypass high courts and create NAB and anti-terrorism like courts to ‘fix’ journalists and pressure media houses to do the same.
The ministry would like to fast track cases where even the right for appeal doesn’t exist with the High Court, but only the Supreme Court -where there are already huge case backlogs. The aim is to control tribunal individuals which is a lot easier to do than to control and influence High Courts which is the key pillar of the judicial system.
Media tribunals are the most dangerous part of the PMDA.
What are some other practical concerns regarding the PMDA?
The selection procedure for the board governing the PMDA from the private sector includes four stakeholders only when there are at least 12 major stakeholders.
The PMDA board will include 50% government officials and 50% media stakeholders, which is eight in all. How do they plan to get four representatives from at least 12 stakeholders like PBA, APNS, CPNE, AEMEND, PFUJ, cable operators, film producers, digital representatives, and 2-3 different workers bodies?
PMDA also proposes to issue licenses to media outlets which already exist for TV and radio.
PMDA proposes penalties on media houses and journalists up to Rs250 million. It proposes increased government control by appointing bureaucrats at key positions.
The government historically has the biggest conflict of interest and has repeatedly tried to stifle the press so that their own governance and alleged corruption is not highlighted and brought to the public.
The structure of the complaints councils and authority is a replica of the existing PEMRA complaint and authority structure. Why is there a need for a new one? The involvement of so-called independent members is a sham as it already exists but has never been implemented properly due to that conflict of interest.
Regulation is still required. What is the solution for effective media regulation?
Answer: There is no second opinion on the fact that the broadcast sector must be regulated. However, the question remains about what should be regulated.
In principle, regulations must restrict to the following aspects:
Transparency and fairness in allocation and licensing of broadcasting frequencies
Prevention of undue concentration media ownership in the sector
Protection of net neutrality. Net neutrality requires equal ability to access and disseminate information, opinions, perspectives, etc. online.
Content regulation or censorship of dissenting voices must not fall in the purview of the regulator. Instead, there is a need to make the existing bodies effective, independent and to effectively implement existing rules and laws.
The existing regulatory bodies should be more neutrally represented by stakeholders and intellectuals and not by government representatives who are under pressure to serve their masters. The chairman and board members should have independence and add credibility to regulatory institutions. Defamation laws should be more efficient.
The answer is definitely not in setting up another supra authority which is bound to breed more corruption and become more inefficient.
So what is the need for the information ministry to push this at this time?
Answer: It seems the Information Ministry has some ambitious people who want to control the media at all costs, for some special projects which may be of a personal nature.
First, the ministry said the leaked draft of the PDMA was fake. Then the ministry said almost all stakeholders are supporting this draft. Then the ministry said that most were consulted on it and minor changes had been made.
The ministry finally stated that journalist associations are supporting the draft. Each time, the ministry was proven wrong.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan. Photo: Geo.tv/File
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan has said that the coronavirus is still present in Pakistan, warning masses that now is not the time to take off masks, Geo News reported Monday.
Speaking at a ceremony, Dr Sultan added that the outbreak of the virus can be reduced if people vaccinate and maintain social distancing.
Updating on the status of vaccinations, Dr Sultan informed that almost 20 million people have been vaccinated against the infection in Pakistan.
He, however, warned that only abiding by the SOPs will keep the fourth COVID-19 wave under control.
Sultan further talked about vaccinations and stated that vaccines only prevent side effects of the disease, adding that people should continue to wear masks.
Pakistan reported a coronavirus positivity rate of 5.62% on Monday. Since August 24, Pakistan’s positivity rate has been under 7%, 19 out of 21 days.
Further, to encourage people to wear face masks, the World Health Organisation (WHO), in collaboration with district health authorities of Islamabad, is launching a campaign titled ‘Wear a Mask – Protect Pakistan’.
WHO’s representative in Pakistan, Doctor Palitha Mahipala, addressed the campaign and remarked that the vaccination campaign in Pakistan is going well.
Mahipala added that the goal of the WHO’s campaign is to make use of masks mandatory and in the coming days, the health organisation will launch a campaign distributing masks at railway stations, bus stops, and other public places.
The WHO representative remarked that the the outbreak of coronavirus can be easily controlled in Pakistan.
Zahir Jaffer, in handcuffs, being brought to an Islamabad court by police officers. Photo: Geo.tv/ file
Islamabad High Court hears bail plea of Zakir Jaffer, father of main suspect Zahir Jaffer in Noor Mukadam rape and murder case.
Justice Aamer Farooq says rules to grant and cancel bail are different, court will hear two petitions separately.
Noor’s family, friends demand court should not grant bail to abettors in protest outside IHC.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court served a notice to the parents of Zahir Jaffer, the main suspect in the Noor Mukadam rape and murder case, and adjourned the hearing till September 15 on Monday.
Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC was hearing the bail plea of the suspect’s father Zakir Jaffer and of the employees of Therapy Works.
During the hearing, the court directed Advocate Shah Khawar, the counsel for Noor’s family, to submit a power of attorney today.
The lawyer responded that he would submit a power of attorney on behalf of his client Shaukat Mukadam, Noor’s father, today (Monday).
The application for cancellation of bail of the employees of Therapy Works is also being heard, Khawar said, adding that if the court deemed it appropriate, it could hear all the petitions together.
Justice Farooq, however, said that the rules to grant and cancel bail are different.
He said the court will hear the two petitions separately.
If the hearing is to be adjourned, then adjourn it till tomorrow, said the petitioner’s lawyer, Khawaja Harris.
The court then ordered Khawar to submit a power of attorney and adjourned the hearing till September 15. A notice was also issued on the bail application of Zahir Jaffer’s mother Asmat Zakir again.
Noor Mukadam’s family, friends protest, ask for justice
A protest, meanwhile, was held outside the Islamabad High Court during the hearing by Noor’s family and friends, calling for speedy justice in the case.
The victim’s father Shaukat Mukadam was also present at the protest.
Noor’s friends and family demanded her killer be brought to justice. They also demanded that those who helped the killer not be released on bail.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull went over Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes on lap 26 of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
Lewis Hamilton has said Formula 1’s ‘halo’ safety device saved his life in his crash at the Italian Grand Prix.
The 36-year-old seven-time world champion was hit by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with the Dutchman’s car driving over Hamilton’s Mercedes.
The ‘halo’, a curved, reinforced bar in front of the driver’s head, protected Hamilton from a more severe impact.
“I feel very fortunate today,” said Hamilton. “Thank God for the halo which saved me, and saved my neck.”
The Briton added: “I am so grateful I am still here. I feel incredibly blessed that someone was watching over me today.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been hit on the head by a car before – and it is quite a big shock for me.
“We are taking risks and it’s only when you experience something like that that you get the real shock of how you look at life and how fragile we all are.
“If you look at the images of the crash, my head is…
Daniil Medvedev described his celebration as “L2+left” – the code for the brick fall goal celebration in the Fifa video game
Winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open was enough for Daniil Medvedev to finally celebrate – and he pulled out a move from a video game.
But the second seed, having dominated world number one Novak Djokovicto win 6-4 6-4 6-4at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, changed his mind.
He jumped and fell to the floor after he converted his third championship point – a reference to the brick fall/dead fish goal celebration in the Fifa video game.
“Only legends will understand, what I did at last was L2+left,” he told the New York crowd.
Medvedev produced a near flawless performance to beat Djokovic and end the Serb’s hope of a calendar Grand Slam and a men’s record 21st major singles title.
He revealed afterwards that he had thought up the celebration while struggling to sleep on tour one night.
“To not celebrate is going to be too boring, because I do it all the time,”…
image captionThe i reports that Scotland “goes it alone” on vaccine passports after Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced the controversial measure would be scrapped in England. The paper says the move has prompted “immediate” calls for Scotland to do the same. Like most of the papers, it also features a photo of Emma Raducanu holding her US Open trophy in New York.
image captionThe Herald says that critics of the vaccine passport plan within the Conservative party told Boris Johnson that they “impinged on people’s freedoms and privacy”. The scheme is due to take effect from 1 October and means people over the age of 18 will need to show they have had both doses of a Covid vaccine before they are allowed entry to nightclubs and major events.
image captionThe head of Scotland’s professional football league has said it will be “very difficult” to check that all fans attending games have the document, reports the Metro. The paper reports Neil Doncaster’s view that the only way to make…
Tim Paine was appointed Australia Test captain in March 2018 after Steve Smith stepped down because of his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal
Australia Test captain Tim Paine is confident he will be fit for the Ashes despite needing surgery to treat a pinched nerve in his neck.
Paine, 36, has been suffering pain in his neck and left arm which has been caused by a bulging disc.
He expects to be back in full training by next month, with the first Ashes Test against England scheduled to begin in Brisbane on 8 December.
“I will be ready to go by the first Test,” said Paine.
“The consensus of the spinal surgeon and the Cricket Australia medical team was to have the surgery now which will allow plenty of time to fully prepare for the summer.”
Australia retained the Ashes with a2-2 draw in Englandin 2019, the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.
Cricket Australia expects this year’s series to go ahead as planned despite some England players suggestingthey may pull outif Covid-19…
Jurgen Klopp states Harvey Elliott’s horrific injury ‘overshadows everything’
A visibly upset Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott was in “massive pain” after suffering a serious ankle injury at Leeds.
Elliott, 18, was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital following a challenge by Leeds defender Pascal Struijk, who was sent off.
Klopp said Elliott had dislocated his ankle during Liverpool’s 3-0 win.
“We’ll play without him, but we will wait for him as well because he is a top player,” added the Liverpool boss.
The former Fulham teenager posted a message on Instagram after the Elland Road encounter, saying he is “on the road to recovery” and Liverpool added later on Sunday that he had been discharged from hospital but will need to undergo surgery in the coming days.
“Harvey, his family and Liverpool FC would like to place on record their thanks to the paramedics and all the staff at Leeds General Infirmary for the care and treatment given,” the club said in a…
Daniil Medvedev is only the second first-time men’s Grand Slam champion since 2014, following Dominic Thiem’s win in New York last year
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev won his first Grand Slam title by shattering Novak Djokovic’s hopes of completing a calendar sweep of the majors in a one-sided US Open final.
Second seed Medvedev, 25, lost his two previous Grand Slam finals but was composed throughout a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.
World number one Djokovic had already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles this year.
The 34-year-old Serb was also chasing a record 21st Grand Slam men’s title.
Victory would have moved him clear of rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the battle to finish with the most men’s majors, but it was the potential calendar Grand Slam which Djokovic had said would be the “greatest achievement” of his career.
Perhaps burdened by the weight of history, Djokovic looked subdued throughout as he made a high number of uncharacteristic errors and also became tearful…
President Joe Biden’s sweeping new vaccine requirements have Republican governors threatening lawsuits. His unapologetic response: “Have at it.”
The administration is gearing up for another major clash between federal and state rule. But while many details about the rules remain unknown, Biden appears to be on firm legal ground to issue the directive in the name of protecting employee safety, according to several experts interviewed by The Associated Press.
“My bet is that with respect to that statutory authority, they’re on pretty strong footing given the evidence strongly suggesting … the degree of risk that (unvaccinated individuals) pose, not only to themselves but also unto others,” said University of Connecticut law professor Sachin Pandya.
Republicans swiftly denounced the mandate that could impact 100 million Americans as government overreach and vowed to sue, and private employers who resist the requirements may do so as well. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called it an “assault on private businesses” while Gov. Henry McMaster promised to “fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.” The Republican National Committee has also said it will sue the administration “to protect Americans and their liberties.”
Such cases could present another clash between state and federal authority at a time when Biden’s Justice Department is already suing Texas over its new state law that bans most abortions, arguing that it was enacted “in open defiance of the Constitution.”
The White House is gearing up for legal challenges and believes that even if some of the mandates are tossed out, millions of Americans will get a shot because of the new requirements — saving lives and preventing the spread of the virus.
Biden is putting enforcement in the hands of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is drafting a rule “over the coming weeks,” Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Friday. He warned that “if a workplace refuses to follow the standard, the OSHA fines could be quite significant.”
Courts have upheld vaccination requirements as a condition of employment, both before the pandemic — in challenges brought by health care workers — and since the coronavirus outbreak, said Lindsay Wiley, director of the Health Law and Policy Program at American University Washington College of Law.
Where Biden’s vaccine requirements could be more open to attack is over questions of whether the administration followed the proper process to implement them, she said.
“The argument that mandatory vaccination impermissibly infringes on bodily autonomy or medical decision making, those arguments have not been successful and I don’t expect that to change,” Wiley said. “I think the challenges that are harder to predict the outcome of are going to be the ones that are really sort of the boring challenges about whether they followed the right process.”
Emergency temporary standards — under which the rules are being implemented on a fast track — have been particularly vulnerable to challenges, Wiley said. But the risks presented by the coronavirus and the existence of a declared public health emergency could put this one “on stronger footing than any other ones past administrations have tried to impose that have been challenged in court,” she said.
Indeed, the question of whether the mandate is legally sound is separate from whether it will be upheld by judges, including by a conservative-majority Supreme Court which has trended toward generous interpretations of religious freedom and may be looking to ensure that any mandate sufficiently takes faith-based objections into account.
Vaccination “has become politicized and there are many Republican district judges who might be hostile to the regulation for political reasons,” said Michael Harper, a Boston University law professor.
“I could imagine an unfortunate opinion that attempted to justify this political stance by rejecting the use of OSHA against infectious disease rather than against hazards intrinsic to the workplace,” Harper wrote in an email.
The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.
Biden is also requiring vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government — with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers.
Republican-dominated Montana stands alone in having a state law on the books that directly contradicts the new federal mandate. The state passed a law earlier this year making it illegal for private employers to require vaccines as a condition for employment.
But University of Montana constitutional law professor Anthony Johnstone said the federal rules would trump the state law. That means larger Montana businesses that previously couldn’t require their employees to get vaccinated will now likely be required to, including hospitals that are some of the largest employers in the sparsely populated state.
Given that the rules are still being drafted and haven’t been released, experts say the devil is in the details. It remains to be seen exactly what the rule will require employers to do or not do, and how it accounts for things such as other rights that unvaccinated employees may assert, such as the right to a disability accommodation, Pandya said.
For example — with the growing number of fully remote businesses and workers — if the rules are written to include people who don’t have workplace exposure, “there certainly is room for an issue there,” said Erika Todd, an employment attorney with Sullivan & Worcester in Boston.
Charles Craver, a labor and employment law professor at George Washington University, said the mandate presented a “close question” legally. But he said the Biden administration did have a legitimate argument that such a requirement was necessary for employers to protect the safety of workers, customers and members of the public.
The thornier question, though, is how employers — and courts — will sort through requests for accommodations for employees on religious or other grounds.
Though such accommodations may include having an employee work from home, “you can have a situation where someone has to be present and you can’t provide an accommodation because of the danger involved,” he added.
“I would not be a betting person if this went up before the Supreme Court,” Craver said. “I could even picture the court divided 5-4, and I wouldn’t bet which way it would go.”
New U.S. studies released Friday show the COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations and death even as the extra-contagious delta variant swept the country.
One study tracked over 600,000 COVID-19 cases in 13 states from April through mid-July. As delta surged in early summer, those who were unvaccinated were 4.5 times more likely than the fully vaccinated to get infected, over 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Vaccination works,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC’s director, told a White House briefing Friday. “The bottom line is this: We have the scientific tools we need to turn the corner on this pandemic.”
But as earlier data has shown, protection against coronavirus infection is slipping some: It was 91% in the spring but 78% in June and July, the study found.
So-called “breakthrough” cases in the fully vaccinated accounted for 14% of hospitalizations and 16% of deaths in June and July, about twice the percentage as earlier in the year.
An increase in those percentages isn’t surprising: No one ever said the vaccines were perfect and health experts have warned that as more Americans get vaccinated, they naturally will account for a greater fraction of the cases.
Walensky said Friday that well over 90% of people in U.S. hospitals with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
CDC released two other studies Friday that signaled hints of waning protection for older adults. One examined COVID-19 hospitalizations in nine states over the summer and found protection for those 75 and older was 76% compared to 89% for all other adults. And in five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, protection against COVID-19 hospitalizations was 95% among 18- to 64-year-olds compared to 80% among those 65 and older.
It isn’t clear if the changes seen over time are because immunity is waning in people first vaccinated many months ago, that the vaccine isn’t quite as strong against delta — or that much of the country abandoned masks and other precautions just as delta started spreading.
But U.S. health authorities will consider this latest real-world data as they decide if at least some Americans need a booster, and how soon after their last dose. Next week, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will publicly debate Pfizer’s application to offer a third shot.
Cities and urban counties across the U.S. are raising concerns that a recent rule from President Joe Biden’s administration could preclude them from tapping into $350 billion of coronavirus relief aid to expand high-speed internet connections.
Biden has set a goal of delivering fast, affordable internet to every American household. The massive American Rescue Plan took a step toward that by including broadband infrastructure among the primary uses for pandemic aid flowing to each city, county and state.
But an interim rule published by the U.S. Treasury Department has narrowed the broadband eligibility. It focuses on areas that lack reliable broadband, which connects devices to the internet through a cable or data line, at download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps.
That threshold ensures funding for remote, rural areas that have slow or no internet service, and it matches the definition of broadband set by the Federal Communications Commission in 2015. But cities contend the eligibility mark overlooks the realities of today’s internet needs.
Though most cities already have broadband available, the speed still might not be fast enough to handle multiple people in a home trying to work, study and stream entertainment simultaneously — a common scenario during the coronavirus pandemic. The price also can be more than lower-income residents can afford.
“They’re basically prioritizing those rural areas over the underserved urban areas where there is more population,” said Detta Kissel, a retired Treasury Department attorney who helped write agency rules and now advocates for better internet service in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Arlington, Virginia.
Several cities, including Washington, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and San Antonio, have submitted public comments to the Treasury Department urging it to loosen the eligibility standard for spending pandemic relief money on broadband. Some want the Treasury to define underserved areas as anything less than download and upload speeds of 100 Mbps.
That would increase the number of locations eligible for funding from about 11 million to 82 million households and businesses nationwide, according to a study conducted for America’s Communications Association, which represents small and medium-sized internet providers.
Cities argue that the Treasury should use a 100/100 Mbps eligibility threshold because that’s the same speed projects are supposed to achieve if they receive funding. A separate infrastructure bill working its way through Congress is more flexible, allowing some of its $65 billion in broadband funding to go to “underserved” areas lacking download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps.
If the Treasury goes forward with its rule as originally written, sparsely populated areas currently lacking broadband could leapfrog certain urban areas in their internet speeds. That doesn’t sit well with some mayors.
“The inner city of Memphis is as in a dire need of broadband connection as rural Tennessee,” said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who wants Treasury Department assurance before spending $20 million from the American Rescue Plan on a broadband project.
Residents almost anywhere in Milwaukee already have access to at least one internet provider offering download speeds of 25 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. But in parts of the city, fewer than half the households subscribe to internet service because of its cost, said David Henke, the city’s chief information officer.
“If you don’t have a job and you can’t afford broadband, that’s kind of a cycle,” Henke said. “You’re locked out of remote learning, remote work, telemedicine and participating basically in a modern society.”
Milwaukee has applied for a $12.5 million grant from Wisconsin’s share of the American Rescue Plan and would chip in $2.5 million of its own pandemic relief money to expand affordable broadband into more parts of the city, Henke said. But the city wants the Treasury Department to broaden “the narrow wording” of its rule.
Although the public comment period ended in July, the Treasury has set no date for when it will publish the rule’s final version. A Treasury official said the department is undertaking a thorough review of the comments that is likely “to continue into the fall.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, is among those urging the Treasury Department to adopt a broader eligibility threshold. He wrote that it would be “severely misguided” to assume that communities are adequately served by the “woefully outdated” broadband benchmark the department has set.
Broadband industry groups generally have urged the Treasury to stick with its original plan of targeting money at areas with the slowest internet speeds.
“Rather than reinvesting in locations that already have broadband to make it better,” the pandemic relief money should go to “places that don’t have any broadband at all,” said Patrick Halley, general counsel at USTelecom, whose membership includes AT&T, Verizon and others.
The cable industry group NCTA urged treasury officials to tighten eligibility even further. It wants to limit the number of households that already have faster service that can be included in areas targeted for improvements. It also wants to remove the potential for locally subjective decisions about areas that lack reliable service.
Allowing improvements in areas that already meet minimum speed thresholds could siphon money away from the neediest, hard-to-reach areas — potentially leaving them without service once the federal money is spent, industry groups said.
To bring super-fast internet service to every place currently lacking 25/3 Mbps speeds could cost between $20 billion and $37 billion, according to the study for America’s Communications Association. That cost jumps to between $106 billion to $179 billion when covering all areas currently lacking speeds of 100/100 Mbps.
“As a matter of prioritization, we think it’s best to start with the areas that have the least,” said Ross Lieberman, the association’s senior vice president of government affairs.
Though most of the complaints about the Treasury Department rule have come from larger cities, some residents in rural areas also have raised concerns.
Charlie Hopkins, a retired computer hardware and software designer, owns a home on a Maine island that is accessible only by boat. The internet speeds at his house registered barely 5 Mbps for downloading and just 0.4 Mbps for uploading when tested recently for The Associated Press.
Because some homes have faster speeds, Hopkins is concerned the Treasury Department rule could make it difficult for the island to get funding to improve its internet. He said broadband is essential to attract and retain residents.
“Other cities and towns in Maine, especially the cities, are getting higher-speed fiberoptic-based internet,” Hopkins said. “I don’t like being in a position where we’re essentially being told, `Well, you’re at the end of the Earth, so you don’t qualify.'”
Yorkshire 95-8:Ballance 51*; Norwell 3-25, Woakes 3-40, Miles 2-11
Yorkshire (3 pts) trail Warwickshire (2 pts) by 60 runs with two wickets remaining
Scorecard
England all-rounder Chris Woakes took 3-40 on his first County Championship start in three years as Warwickshire fought back well on another day of falling wickets against Yorkshire.
After being put in, despite Michael Burgess’s 66, the Bears were bowled out for 155, pacemen Steve Patterson and Ben Coad each taking four wickets.
But the Tykes then tumbled to 95-8 by the close, saved only by Gary Ballance.
The England batsman was unbeaten on 51 when play was cut short by bad light.
As well as Woakes’ success, capped by the removal of England team-mate Dawid Malan, caught cutting to…
Nottinghamshire (3 pts) trail Hampshire (1 pt) by 197 runs
Scorecard
Division One leaders Nottinghamshire claimed maximum bowling points but lost a key wicket late on day one against second-placed Hampshire.
After winning the toss and batting on a green-tinged pitch, Hampshire struggled with only Nick Gubbins (54) offering much resistance in their 226 all out.
Dane Paterson took 3-52 for Notts, including his 400th first-class wicket.
Notts were 29-1 at stumps, 197 behind with Haseeb Hammed – a late call-up after England duty – out for two.
Going into the penultimate match of the season with a 10-and-a-half-point lead over Hampshire and Yorkshire in the race for the County Championship title, Notts’ attack made the most of the bowler-friendly surface…
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, the global Contrast Media Market is projected to USD 5.9 billion by 2026 from USD 4.9 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period.
