Police out in force to deter Sydney lockdown protesters

Police in Sydney have launched a highly visible and mobile operation today to disrupt any COVID-19 protests and prevent mass gatherings.

Officers are warning protesters planning to demonstrate against restrictions in Sydney this weekend to stay at home.

New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott this week said any mass protests would be a major public health risk and police would take firm action to prevent gatherings.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-nsw-update-sydney-police-operation-to-deter-lockdown-protests/26601459-3198-45a8-bc7d-5e8c3d4a9729

Police brace for anti-lockdown rally planned in Melbourne CBD on Saturday

Police have set up a ring of steel around the Melbourne CBD to deter anti-lockdown protesters rallying, in breach of public health orders.

Victoria Police are already out in force as they brace for a planned anti-lockdown rally in and around Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the closure of main roads and suspension of public transport into the city, protesters are still planning on following through with the rally, slammed by Premier Daniel Andrews as selfish.

Protesters have spent the morning encouraging each other to follow through with the 12pm action, even with the promise of heavy police attention, in a message thread on encrypted app Telegram.

As police fortified the city, group organisers announced midmorning the location would be changed to the corner of Bridge Rd and Church St in Richmond, on the edge of the city.

https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/police-brace-for-antilockdown-rally-planned-in-melbourne-cbd-on-saturday/news-story/86f7a01b43f3264126b5bd0317e0d282

Antibody cocktail, touted by Trump as 'cure' for Covid-19, to be launched across UK next week for coronavirus patients

A new antibody drug, Ronapreve, will become available for coronavirus parents across Britain next week, the UK government has said. The drug was used to treat then-US President Donald Trump, who hailed it as a "cure" for Covid-19.

The drug, jointly developed by Roche and Regeneron, will be initially used among those with a weak antibody response to the virus, British health authorities said Friday.

"We have secured a brand new treatment for our most vulnerable patients in hospitals across the UK and I am thrilled it will be saving lives from as early as next week," Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement announcing the Ronapreve launch.

It will be used to treat patients without antibodies to SARS CoV-2 who are either aged 50 and over, or are aged 12 to 49 and are considered to be immunocompromised.

Eligibility for the treatment will be determined via antibody testing, with those showing a lack of "adequate existing antibody response" approved to receive the drug, Javid added. Ronapreve was greenlit for use in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) back in August.

Hailing the upcoming rollout, one of the companies behind the drug expressed hope for the continuation of its partnership with British health authorities.

"This is just another step in our journey to overcome Covid-19, and we will continue to collaborate with partners to identify and investigate multiple options that may help different groups of patients," Covid-19 Lead at Roche, Paul McManus, said in a statement.

Together with Regeneron, we're grateful for the collaboration of the vaccine taskforce and NHS England in helping to bring this important antibody cocktail to treat and prevent acute Covid-19 across the UK.

The drug is a monoclonal antibody combination treatment. Ronapreve is administered through injections or infusions, binding with the coronavirus and stopping the disease from reaching cells in the respiratory system – effectively, it is said to act similarly to a natural immune response.

The drug garnered worldwide attention when former US President Donald Trump caught Covid-19 during his time in office and was offered the experimental treatment. According to Trump, the drug demonstrated high efficacy, with the then-president hailing it as an ultimate "cure" for coronavirus.

https://www.rt.com/uk/535168-covid-antibody-drug-trump/

Aussies stepping up

Business owner behind sign banning vaccinated customers speaks out

As debate rages about whether businesses should close their doors to the unvaccinated, one business owner has unapologetically flipped the script.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/business-owner-behind-sign-banning-vaccinated-customers-speaks-out/news-story/f75917e541d19d59062d05cbd0381dd3

Biden will hold global Covid ‘summit’ focused on bringing ‘higher level of ambition’ pushing vaccines

US President Joe Biden will be following his highly controversial Covid-19 vaccine mandate with a virtual summit calling for a “higher level of ambition” pushing inoculations.

The virtual summit is being timed with the United Nations General Assembly, with the summit being planned for September 22, the day after the end of the UN conference.

While the specifics of the talk are not yet known, White House officials announced on Friday that the president will be focused on discussing “expanding and enhancing our shared efforts to defeat Covid-19.”

A statement from the White House mentioned past summits of world leaders and philanthropists convened to discuss Covid-19 strategies, though they did not get specific about how this summit will be different.

The White House statement did provide four general points that will be focused on, including creating more “equitable access” to vaccines globally, making tests, protective equipment, and therapeutics “more available,” as well as “calling the world to account,” which officials describe as “aligning around targets, tracking progress, and supporting one another in fulfilling our commitments.”

Biden’s focus on the global battle against Covid-19 follows his recent announcement that most government workers would be required to be vaccinated, while employers with more than 100 in their staff would be forced to mandate vaccines or regular tests for each of them, a plan that is already facing potential legal challenges.

Biden has expressed frustration with the vaccination rates in the US – though over 70% of adults have at least one dose – but he has reportedly been turning his attention to vaccine distribution overseas recently, with the administration reportedly negotiating to buy 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to ship overseas, a deal that could be finalized by the time the president hosts his summit.

Other reports citing draft documents related to Biden’s summit plans state the president will announce a goal of having 70% of the world’s population vaccinated in one year.

https://www.rt.com/news/535174-biden-covid19-summit-united-nations/

Court blocks North Carolina voter ID law, says it discriminates against black people

A panel of judges in North Carolina has struck down the state’s voter ID law, saying that asking voters to identify themselves discriminates against black people.

In a split decision on Friday, a three-judge panel in Wake County, North Carolina, struck down the state’s voter ID law, which requires voters to show a passport, driver’s license, or state-issued ID card specifically for voting.

In their ruling, two of the three judges wrote that the law “was enacted in part for a discriminatory purpose.” The law “would not have been enacted in its current form but for its tendency to discriminate against African American voters,” the judges added.

by Democrat Governor Roy Cooper. It was blocked by a judge in 2020, but that block was lifted in another court ruling later that year. A previous iteration of the law was struck down in 2016, when a federal judge ruled that it targeted African Americans “with almost surgical precision.”

Critics of the law argued that black Americans are less likely to have photographic identification. The two judges on Friday sided with these critics, citing a 2015 study which found that 9.6% of Black “registered voters lacked acceptable ID…compared with 4.5% of white registered voters.”

Supporters of voter ID, meanwhile, counter that there are no barriers preventing black Americans from acquiring the same photographic ID as their white counterparts. The panel’s one dissenting judge wrote on Friday that “not one scintilla of evidence was introduced during this trial that any legislator acted with racially discriminatory intent.”

In North Carolina, the slightest change in election law can have dramatic consequences. The aforementioned Governor Roy Cooper was elected in 2016 by a margin of just over 10,000 votes, and Donald Trump bested Joe Biden in the state by slightly fewer than 75,000 votes.

The voter ID issue arose in the first place because, unlike in many other developed countries, citizens of the US are not required to carry a government-issued ID card. Social Security cards – which were never intended to serve as a means of identification – are often used in place of government ID, and other forms of identification like passports and driver’s licences are almost universally accepted for purchasing cigarettes, alcohol, or firearms.

Only seven US states have strict photo ID requirements in place to vote. In 23 states and territories, no documents are required to vote.

https://www.rt.com/usa/535171-north-carolina-voter-id/

Irish and Italian privacy watchdogs sound alarm over Facebook's new smart glasses

Ireland's data privacy watchdog has expressed concerns over new smart glasses, produced by Facebook in partnership with Ray-Ban, stating it's asked the tech giant whether the device can properly notify people they're being filmed.

The Irish Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) voiced its concerns over the glasses on Friday. The smart glasses, manufactured by Facebook in cooperation with Ray-Ban, were unveiled by the tech giant last week. The device drew not only the media's eye, but also the close attention of authorities in a number of countries.

Italy's watchdog Garante Privacy asked the DPC to solicit some answers from the tech giant on whether the device is actually in compliance with privacy laws. The Irish privacy watchdog is the EU's leading body in dealing with Facebook, as the European operation of the tech giant is headquartered in Dublin.

"While it is accepted that many devices including smart phones can record third-party individuals, it is generally the case that the camera or the phone is visible as the device by which recording is happening, thereby putting those captured in the recordings on notice," the Irish regulator said in a statement.

The watchdogs now want to know whether the device is capable of properly indicating it's filming the surroundings and of notifying people around the wearer of ongoing recording. So far, Facebook has failed to provide conclusive evidence the glasses are capable of doing this, the DPC noted.

With the glasses, there is a very small indicator light that comes on when recording is occurring. It has not been demonstrated to the DPC and Garante that comprehensive testing in the field was done by Facebook or Ray-Ban to ensure the indicator LED light is an effective means of giving notice.

Unlike Google's ill-fated take on the smart glasses concept, the Facebook version doesn't appear to have any distinctive features, looking pretty much like regular Ray-Bans. The wearable tech, however, comes with two frontal cameras, two speakers and three microphones to film and record the surroundings, as well as boasting a battery life of some six hours.

"Accordingly, the DPC and Garante are now calling on Facebook Ireland to confirm and demonstrate that the LED indicator light is effective for its purpose, and to run an information campaign to alert the public as to how this new consumer product may give rise to less obvious recording of their images," the DPC concluded.

https://www.rt.com/news/535158-irish-data-watchdog-facebook-glasses/

Ugandan police rescue 38 victims of human trafficking in Kenya

https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/east-africa-news/ugandan-police-rescue-38-victims-of-human-trafficking-in-kenya-3553008

RAB arrests 16 human trafficking suspects in Rajshahi

https://www.newagebd.net/article/149353/rab-arrests-16-human-trafficking-suspects-in-rajshahi

Fox News’ Trey Yingst Lands Interview With Top Taliban Official After US Afghanistan Exit Disaster

Fox News Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst interviews top Taliban member Anas Haqqani on the Afghanistan withdrawal and Biden administration.

https://breaking911.com/watch-fox-news-trey-yingst-lands-interview-with-top-taliban-official-after-us-afghanistan-exit-disaster/

Fed Chief Powell, other officials owned securities central bank bought during Covid pandemic

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has ordered a review of ethics rules for the central bank after an outcry over officials owning individual securities.

CNBC found Powell owned municipal bonds of the same type bought by the Fed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Two regional Fed presidents likewise owned assets of the same type the Fed was buying as the coronavirus threatened the U.S. economy’s health.

The central bank’s code of conduct says officials “should be careful to avoid any dealings or other conduct that might convey even an appearance of conflict between their personal interests, the interests of the system, and the public interest.”

Amid an outcry about Federal Reserve officials owning and trading individual securities, an in-depth look by CNBC at officials’ financial disclosures found three who last year held assets of the same type the Fed itself was buying, including Chairman Jerome Powell.

None of these holdings or transactions appeared to violate the Fed’s code of conduct. But they raise further questions about the Fed’s conflict of interest policies and the oversight of central bank officials.

Powell held between $1.25 million and $2.5 million of municipal bonds in family trusts over which he is said to have no control. They were just a small portion of his total reported assets. While the bonds were purchased before 2019, they were held while the Fed last year bought more than $5 billion in munis, including one from the state of Illinois purchased by his family trust in 2016.

Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren held between $151,000 and $800,000 worth of real estate investment trusts that owned mortgage-backed securities. He made as many as 37 separate trades in the four REITS while the Fed purchased almost $700 billion in MBS.

Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin held $1.35 million to $3 million in individual corporate bonds purchased before 2020. They include bonds of Pepsi, Home Depot and Eli Lilly. The Fed last year opened a corporate bond-buying facility and purchased $46.5 billion of corporate bonds.

Among those questions: Should the Fed have banned officials from holding, buying and selling the same assets the Fed itself was buying last year when it dramatically widened the types of assets it would purchase in response to the pandemic?

The Fed’s own code of conduct says officials “should be careful to avoid any dealings or other conduct that might convey even an appearance of conflict between their personal interests, the interests of the system, and the public interest.”

In response to CNBC questions asked in the process of our research, a Fed spokesperson released a statement Thursday saying Powell ordered a review last week of the Fed’s ethics rules surrounding “permissible financial holdings and activities by senior Fed officials.”

A Fed spokesperson told CNBC that Powell had no say over the central bank’s individual municipal bond purchases and no say over the investments in his family’s trusts. A Fed ethics officer determined that the holdings did not violate government rules.

Barkin declined to comment but he did not appear to have any say over the individual corporate bonds purchased by the Fed.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/17/fed-officials-owned-securities-it-was-buying-during-pandemic-raising-more-questions-about-conflicts.html

‘This Is How You Create Terrorists’: Kennedy Blasts Biden’s ‘Shoot First, Aim Later’ Drone Policy

Fox Business host Lisa Kennedy reacted Friday to the news that a U.S. drone strike had accidentally killed an aid worker and his family, children included.

Kennedy said on “The Five” that deadly mistakes — such as a drone strike that killed innocent people rather than military targets — could potentially risk inspiring more people in Afghanistan to side with terrorists against the United States.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld responded first, saying that he thought the drone strike had been largely a political move to reassure the American people that President Joe Biden’s administration was doing something in the wake of the terror attack at Kabul’s airport that left 13 American service members dead.

“I really do think he was under pressure to act. That’s why they acted and they did a horrible, horrible thing,” Gutfeld continued. “You know, it’s been eight or nine months in this administration and their mantra should be ‘a lot went wrong’ because this White House right now is a mess.”

Gutfeld went on to note that there were still Americans and allies trapped in Afghanistan.

“I hope that the people are happy we got rid of a president because of his mean tweets in exchange what you got is a president who’s just mucking it all up,” he added, arguing that despite his brash demeanor, former President Donald Trump had been more of a peacemaker.

“I’m always going to vote for the jerk. You know what? You’re harder on the jerk. The jerk ends up being more sensible. He’s been a jerk for so long, he has to be more sensible. Right?” Gutfeld concluded. “The nice guys get away with literally murder.”

Kennedy weighed in then, comparing the errant drone strike to former President Barack Obama’s drone policy.

“This is how you create terrorists,” she said. “Shoot first, aim later doesn’t work here. This is what happens. This is absolutely horrific. This is why there are so many in the military, especially special operators, that are opposed to drone strikes in general but especially these kind that really miss the mark.”

Kennedy then turned her attention to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and White House press secretary Jen Psaki, adding, “Those propagandists need to resign. They are doing the devil’s work. They are doing so much harm to this country.”

She concluded by agreeing with Gutfeld that the strike had been rushed and politically motivated, noting that what she would really like to know was where the military had gotten the intelligence. “Was it from the Taliban?” she asked.

https://dailycaller.com/2021/09/17/lisa-kennedy-biden-shoot-first-aim-later-drone-policy/