A Proclamation on America Recycles Day: On America Recycles Day, we promote the benefits of recycling for our health, environment, and economy and we reenergize the efforts all of us can take to meet the obligations we have as a Nation to future generations. By manufacturing and packaging more recyclable products, producing less waste, and reusing precious resources, we can cut greenhouse gas emissions, create new good-paying jobs, and do our part to help address the climate crisis.
Colorado Governor
Governor Polis signed an Executive Order amending and extending the current COVID-19 disaster declaration to include RSV, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses. The disaster declaration allows agencies to continue to access state and federal funding for recovery efforts, to rapidly respond to changes in the public health environment, and to support the healthcare system to remain appropriately staffed and prepared to respond to public health. The amendment allows the Colorado Department of Insurance (DOI) to issue emergency rules to reduce administrative burdens on transfers to ensure Coloradans receive necessary healthcare.
Denver Mayor
Together as the Downtown Denver Action Partners, the Downtown Denver Partnership; Mayor Michael B. Hancock and the City and County of Denver; the Department of Public Safety, including Denver Police Department, Denver Fire and Denver Sheriff; the Regional Transportation District (RTD); and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced an infusion of resources to address both immediate health and safety concerns in the center city while targeting root problems and long-term solutions.
South Africa petition to ban pit bulls gains momentum – After an eight-year-old child was mauled to death by a pit bull this month, a South Africa Foundation petition has gained 50,000 signatures to ban the animals as pets. South Africa has one of the highest incidents of deaths related to dog attacks in the world. Last month, a 10-year-old boy in the country was also mauled to death by two pit bulls owned by the family.
Nigeria electoral commission issues violence warning – Nigeria’s electoral com- mission warned that attacks could intensify as the country prepares for its February presidential elections. So far, the commission has already tracked 50 attacks related to the polls in the first month of campaigning. Threats like Islamist insurgency, criminal gangs and separatist groups have threatened the country recently.
Asia
Taliban orders Sharia law pun- ishments in Afghanistan – Haibatullah Akhundzada, a political and religious Taliban leader, ordered Afghan judges to impose punishments for certain crimes like public amputations and stoning. Those type of punishments can be enforced on people guilty of crimes like robbery, kidnapping and sedition. When the Taliban regained power last year, they promised to rule more moderately. Exact crimes and punishments have not been defined by the Taliban.
New tulip discovered in Kyrgyzstan – Scientists from Cambridge University dis- covered a new species of tulip during an expedition to Kyrgyzstan in central Asia. The tulip ranges in size from 3.9 inches to 7.4 inches and was discovered as part of a project to understand how to conserve wild tulips in their natural habitat. The tulip has a bright yellow flower with red-streaked outer petals.
Europe
Slovenia elects first woman president – Natasa Pirc Musar will become the first woman president in Slovenia. She is a journalist and lawyer who was hired to protect the interest of former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. Pirc Musar was backed by Slovenia’s centre-left government and won nearly 54 percent of the vote in a victory over former Foreign Minister Anze Logar.
Six killed in explosion in Turkey – At least six people were killed while 81 others were injured because of an explosion that took place at a shopping avenue in Turkey. Authorities arrested a Syrian woman in connection to the attack and blamed Kurdish rebels for carrying out the blast. The woman allegedly sat on a bench in the area for more than 40 minutes and left minutes before the blast took place. She is suspected of having left the bomb and was among 47 people detained by police.
Latin America
Prosecutors accused of covering up murder in Mexico – Anti-corruption officials in Mexico are investigating the attorney-general’s office in Morelos, Mexico. The office is accused of covering up the murder of 27-year- old Ariadna López, whose body was found last week. The attorney-general’s office said she was choked while drunk, but an autopsy revealed she died of multiple force trauma. Mexico City’s mayor said the attorney-general’s office “wanted to hide the femicide.” Murders in which women or girls are killed because of their gender, known as femicides, have increased in recent years in Mexico.
Gas stations in Haiti reopen after being closed for months – For the first time in two months, gas stations opened across Haiti after a gang lifted a fuel blockade. The gang, known as G9, took control of an area surrounding a key fuel terminal in mid-September. Millions of people were temporarily left out of work because of the fuel blockade. The blockade occurred after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced a rise in gas prices.
North America
Top U.S. border official told to leave position – Chris Magnus, commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said he was asked to resign or be fired. He refused to do so and defended his work. Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border reached an all time high this year. Most of the people crossing the border arrived from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
Three football players killed at the University of Virginia – Three football players were shot and killed on campus at the University of Virginia while two others were injured. The incident occurred this past Sunday when students returned from a field trip. The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr, a student on campus, was arrested. The University of Virginia is ranked third in public universities in the United States.
If anyone should ever tell you that the ‘sky is the limit,’ ignore them. To most people the sky is that expanse of blue dotted with clouds, where rainbows appear. But science tells us the sky ends at roughly 62 miles above sea level.
Photo courtesy: Tiscareño Sato
On the other hand, if you do want to know your way around the sky, this vast and endless expanse, spend a little time with Colorado native Graciela Tiscareño Sato. As a navigator on the Air Force’s KC-135, Tiscareño Sato crisscrossed skies above every continent as deftly as a chess master. Today, this Air Force veteran is crisscrossing the country, often appearing at air shows, telling both young and old, about her life above the clouds.
Tiscareño Sato, today an author-businesswoman, is busy promoting her trilogy “Captain Mama,” children’s books. While the books tell a story about her decade as a navigator, she also hopes they inspire young people to dream in the way she dreamed and how she made her dreams come true.
Tiscareño Sato, the child of Mexican immigrants, grew up in Evans, Colorado, just outside of Greeley. Her father was a tailor and her mother a homemaker. The family, including two siblings, lived modestly. But she wanted something different.
A counsellor at Greeley West thought she also had the right stuff to achieve and live her dreams when she invited the precocious high school junior to join her for dinner and to meet her Air Force officer husband.
At dinner, she learned about the Air Force ROTC program, an all-expenses paid scholarship at any of a thousand colleges or universities in exchange for a four-year commitment as a commissioned officer. In no time, she applied and was awarded the scholarship. She took her dream to the University of California-Berkeley where she would graduate and play four years in its marching band. It was also where she met her husband. Both were trombonists.
The agreement between herself and the Air Force worked out almost perfectly. Almost. The top thirty ROTC flight school graduates were rewarded with their aircraft of choice. But since women were not yet allowed to fly fighter jets—her dream—Tiscareño Sato fell back on her second choice, the KC-135. She would become one of the first female navigators. Ironically, the Air Force lifted the ban on women flying jets the following year.
The KC-135 is a modified Boeing 707 that can carry more than 83,000 pounds of fuel. Tiscareño Sato navigated this behemoth on routine as well as classified missions. Her plane refueled everything from stealth aircraft to the now retired super-secret spy plane, SR-71. She also flew above live fire over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today on the ground, the ‘Captain Mama’ author visits air shows where she shares her stories and her bilingual story books. She also brings the same flight suits she wore on active duty and lets kids try them on as they pose for pictures.
The books, she said, explain “Who’s a veteran? What do we do?” As important, they also show young people that “Women and Latinas are veterans, too.” “I want a different narrative,” said the Air Force aviator. Her story is the melding of Latina potential and perseverance. The “Captain Mama” trilogy conveys the same message she has instilled in each of her three children, including her youngest, Kiyoshi. He’s the inspiration for her books.
That epiphany occurred the night before her son’s preschool ‘honor a Vet’ event. She remembered sitting with him and explaining some of the badges on her flight suit as they prepared for the next day. She also recalled that the teacher wanted the kids to talk about their “Dads or grandfathers,” but made no mention of “Moms or grandmothers” who served.
Almost immediately, she decided “I’m just going to show up in uniform.” She also remembered kissing her little boy and sending him to bed and hearing him whisper, “I love you, Captain Mama.” The words became inspiration for the title of her first book, “Good Night, Captain Mama.” It was followed with “Captain Mama’s Surprise,” and “Take Flight with Captain Mama.”
Things have changed dramatically for Latinas and all women in the Air Force today. Women fly in combat; fly every plane in the Air Force inventory; fly as lead solo pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds. She and many of them now regularly cross paths at the various air shows where they can share stories, commiserate about their common experiences and talk about the unique paths that catapulted them into the sky. They are, she said, a special and, more importantly, growing sorority.
Making this bond even tighter are the personal experiences they endured as women and ‘firsts,’ groundbreakers who had to prove their worth as flyers.
For Tiscareño Sato, being the first Latina awarded the Combat Air Medal, is one such story. The medal, when she was flying with her all-male crew over Iraq and Afghanistan, was not then awarded to women. She wasn’t even aware that she had met the standards for the commendation until years after her separation from the Air Force. But doing her homework on the oversight and knowing her combat missions qualified her for it, she finally got it. “The official date,” she said, “is two months after the law was changed.” Tiscareño Sato is quick to commend her crewmates for not accepting their medals until she received hers.
Tiscareño Sato’s life as an author has combined challenge with reward. Just as she saw blue sky with her unique book idea, COVID-19 brought things to a sudden stop. Schools, her primary target for promoting ‘Captain Mama,’ just as suddenly closed. Air shows were cancelled, and air travel became both problematic and risky. Compounding matters was the death of her father.
With the darkest days of COVID in the past, things are looking up. Revenue for the “Good Night, Captain Mama,” trilogy is now stabilizing and, to use a military term, things seem to be ‘CAVU,’ ceiling and visibility unlimited.
The contrails that once crossed the Colorado sky for a long-ago young girl, turned out to be far more than billowing lines. More than ephemeral, they turned out to be inspirational and directional markings to follow and lead to a dream come true.
For more information on the ‘Captain Mama’ trilogy, please visit Captian Mama books | Children’s Aviation Book Seriers.
She lived a life that few outside of her then inner circle might have imagined. Born in an out-of-the way Colorado town into a family of modest means and in a time when gender and ethnicity meant fewer opportunities, Marguerite Salazar soared in a remarkably exciting way. The La Jara, Colorado, native passed away on November 1st in a Santa Fe, New Mexico hospice.
Over the course of her 69 years, Salazar’s resume grew more and more impressive with each added and amazing accomplishment. After graduating from Centauri High School in La Jara, Salazar went on to the San Luis Valley’s anchor school, Adams State University, earning both a bachelor’s and then master’s degree. While her degrees would certainly be essential in her professional life, her personal touch and personality would also add to her success.
“Marguerite was someone who could talk with anyone,” said Denver attorney and former Democratic statehouse leader, Mike Feeley. Feeley’s words reflect an almost universal sentiment among those who crossed paths with her over the course of her impressive life of public service.
Always proud of her San Luis Valley roots, Salazar spent the early part of her career as a therapist working for Alamosa’s Mental Health Center. From there and for the next quarter of a century she served as chief executive of Valley-Wide Health Systems. The organization today runs fifteen primary health care sites in several Valley counties providing dental care, physical therapy, mental health care and several other health related services to a wide range of patients, including immigrants and seasonal workers.
Salazar’s talent did not go unnoticed and in 2010, she was confirmed as President Obama’s Region VIII Administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her job was to implement the President’s newly enacted health care program, popularly known as Obamacare. The position today is held by Lily Griego.
The climb continued with her next position where she served as Colorado’s Commissioner of Insurance for then Governor John Hickenlooper. In that job, she succeeded Commissioner, now Congressman Joe Neguse. She went on to serve in New Mexico Governor Michele Lujan-Grisham’s cabinet as head of the state’s Regulation and Licensing Department. She retired in 2020.
Tributes and remembrances of Salazar have mounted. They have flowed from the nation’s Capital to the town where she spent her formative years. They have been marked by salutes to her accomplishments to the simplest but thoughtful memories of the small-town girl they once knew.
“Everyone who knew her is heartbroken,” said La Jara Town Manager, Larry Zaragoza. He described her as a “bright, charming, and lovable woman,” who worked tirelessly for better health care, education and community development. While no longer a La Jara resident, Salazar visited regularly and was well known by scores of residents.
“Marguerite was a valued member of my cabinet and was dedicated to her work on behalf of New Mexicans,” said New Mexico Governor Lujan-Grisham. “Her passing is a true loss.”
“I don’t know anyone who was more committed to our community than Marguerite Salazar,” said her old boss, Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper. “She and her husband lived and breathed the wellbeing of Southern Colorado.”
“She was a kind woman,” said former Denver state Senator Lucia Guzman. Salazar, she said, “always remained part of the richness of the San Luis Valley,” adding, “the Valley weeps today.”
Salazar left a deep and lasting mark on the San Luis Valley among both its business leaders and so many others who simply knew her as a friend. When she left the Valley in 2010 to serve as Regional Director of Health and Human Services, the Colorado Community Health Center Board passed a resolution naming April 30th as “Marguerite Salazar Day.”
Salazar is survived by her husband, Arnold, two children Max and Ursula and a number of grandchildren and extended family. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 11:00 AM at the Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church (19279 US Hwy 285, La Jara, CO 81140).
Before joining the Air Force, Phil Covarrubias was a farm boy who grew up in Rocky Ford, Colorado at a time when he says people were prejudice toward Mexicans.
Covarrubias, who said he is Mexican American, was used to working in the onion fields, cutting hay and feeding his family’s farm animals. But when he joined the Air Force, Covarrubias’ eyes were opened to different cultures and parts of the world he hadn’t previously seen like Sault Ste. Marine, Michigan, and Okinawa, Japan.
“(The military) makes you grow up quite rapidly, and you learn to be more responsible and learn different things. Being a farm boy, it opened up my eyes to a completely different portion of your life,” said Covarrubias. “It made a different person out of me, because you’re around government property, aircrafts, ships, traveling over seas, and seeing different people. It just gives you a wider perspective in your life.”
While in the Air Force, Covarrubias was a jet mechanic and a crew chief on a jet fighter. He was influenced to join the military by a desire to serve and had three uncles who were a paratrooper and members of the Army and Navy. That desire to serve doesn’t just run through Covarrubias and his uncles — it runs through his sister, son and grandson.
Covarrubias’ sister Delores Covarrubias spent 33 years in the Navy while his son, Phil Covarrubias Jr., was a Marine during the 1980’s. And today, his grandson Nicholas Covarrubias is currently stationed in Hawaii serving as a Marine as well.
“We all have an interest in keeping our freedom here in the United States,” said Covarrubias who turned 82 in October. “Serving your country, it’s important. A lot of people take freedom for granted.”
As we celebrate Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11, We honor Americans who have served their country in the military like the Covarrubias family.
Today, Hispanics are the fastest growing population in the military as the group makes up about 16 percent of all active-duty military, according to the Department of Defense. However, a 2019 report by the Congressional Research Service found that Latinos make up only 8 percent of the officer corps and 2 percent of general/flag officers. There are more than 314,000 Hispanics and Latinos actively serving in the military now, according to a 2020 report from Syracuse University.
This Friday, Covarrubias, Covarrubias Jr., and Covarrubias’ grandson will be honored through the American Legion veteran’s organization. “Veteran’s Day makes people aware of the soldiers that have served and that have died. We care about our freedom, and it means a lot to be proud to be a soldier,” said Covarrubias.
David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs
Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day and honors those that served our country in peace and war under a flag that stands for freedom, justice and democracy. They defended a way of life like no other.
My son Ben is in his second year of retirement from the United States Air Force. We are very happy to have him and his family home after 24 years of service and 4 years at the United States Air Force Academy.
Together we joined a veteran’s organization in 1990 when he was 16 and I kept up his membership current during the 28 years he was away. More than that, my keeping his membership up came out of an unspoken desire to have him do what he needed to do in his career and come home safely.
That is part of the legacy of military service. Families, especially the mothers during a war, find no end to their suffering until their children come home and are alright. Unless we have been ravaged by it, when we think of war we tend to take it as an epic event where one country defeats or dominates another. That is the way history seems to record these things.
That is the way, for example, many of us that follow the developments in Ukraine tend to see war. We want to think of the glory of it all rather than understand that war diminishes everyone.
I know that the media makes extraordinary efforts to bring the human side of war through the stories of people displaced, dying or about to die. The moments of awareness however, come and go unless those far away stories come home and do happen to us as well.
There have been wars and battles that because they were scenes of widespread bloodshed and human suffering so close to home have left a stain on our humanity. The American Civil War was one where the blood of brothers was on each other’s hands.
I saw a recent paranormal documentary about the Battle of Gettysburg that resulted in over 51,000 casualties including more than 7,000 dead. The documentary was in part about those dead (veterans?) that still do not know they are dead and are roaming the battlefield looking to continue the fight.
The legacy of military service for Latinos is a mixed bag of pride and prejudice. World War II was a time for abundant sacrifice as my parents remember the cries of grief for the dead warriors from their neighborhoods was almost nonstop. For those that came back alive, the world continued as before with the air of discrimination making their sacrifices in battle look meaningless. Yet the legacy of their military service also impelled them to organize and carry out a struggle for civil rights.
Today, the scars of military service are most evident in those that fought in Vietnam and came home to the jeers from those against the War and those that felt that we had lost. An ungrateful nation tarnished our military for a generation.
The legacy of military service to our veteran community includes the tendency on part of the country to overlook the long-term effects of that service particularly in war zones. We need to remind ourselves that broken bodies and minds represent a lifetime challenge for the community.
November 11th celebrates our veterans and their sacrifice for our way of life and what is most sacred. Please take the time to thank them for their service.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
Cyberattacks are a growing threat to small businesses and the U.S. economy
In 2021, cybercrimes against small businesses reached a record high of $2.4 billion. That same year, online sales exceeded $960 billion and are expected to surpass $1 trillion in 2022. As we approach the holiday shopping season, small retailers need to evaluate their susceptibilities to cyberattacks and protect their systems from costly data breaches and online scams. Small retailers are especially attractive targets to cybercriminals because they typically lack the security infrastructure of larger businesses. A recent survey showed that 88 percent of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack.
There are simple steps business owners can take to mitigate their risk of costly and destructive cybersecurity threats. The following are five easy and inexpensive actions business owners can take to reduce their risk of cybersecurity attacks:
Update Your system’s software: Software suppliers are constantly providing updates or patches to software you utilize to prevent against the latest cyber threats. The cheapest and easiest way to prevent online attacks this holiday season is to update your computer systems on a regular basis.
Review your online security protocols. This year, online sales will be at their highest level in history. It is critical to ensure your website is secure by getting trustmarked with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection. Verify that your e-commerce platform has multiple layers of security in place, and that you are not storing credit card data.
Create effective passwords that cannot be hacked. The use of weak passwords is one of the major reasons why small retailers are so prone to cyberattacks. Always ensure that your employees are using unique passwords with at least 12 characters – a mix of numbers, letters, capital letters, and punctuation. Employ MultiFactor Authentication (MFA) which provides a layered approach to securing data and applications, where a system requires a user to present a combination of two or more credentials to verify a user’s identity for login.
Be aware of social engineering threats. Hackers love to bait or trick employees into giving up sensitive personal or company information. Social engineering techniques include phishing scams, baiting, scareware, and incentives. Hackers can review both your personal and company social media profiles then create emails, phone calls, and text messages that appear to be coming from a customer, vendor, or someone familiar to gain access to sensitive information.
Enforce strict rules on how your computer systems will be used. It is critical to provide effective training to all employees that will access your computer systems. Make sure employees only have access to data and tasks deemed necessary to their job function and role. You may be hiring multiple seasonal employees over the next few months and controlling how they interface with your online systems is a critical management function.
The holiday shopping season is a critical time for most small retailers – especially those with a robust online presence. Keeping your online systems safe will not only benefit your customers, but also your bottom line. To learn more about SBA’s programs and services related to cybersecurity, visit www.sba.gov/cybersecurity.
Source: Akita Marcoulier–SBA’s Region Eight Administrator
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), through the Colorado Resiliency Office, in partnership with the Governor’s Office, has increased functionality and enhanced the Local Community Funding Guide resource.
“This exciting resource connects Colorado communities with state and federal funding opportunities, building upon our work to save people money, boost local economies, and support Colorado’s thriving main streets,” said Governor Jared Polis.
About the Local Community Funding Guide
This extensive resource was developed by the Division of Local Government (DLG) to assist local governments and community-based organizations in navigating the financial opportunities provided by a number of Federal and State programs.
Since its original launch in 2021, the Colorado Resiliency Office and the Governor’s Office have worked together to rein- vigorate the guide and create a more curated product for local government and community-based organizations to use. This cross-agency collaboration, now will give users access to a more individualized experience – saving time and money.
Users of this funding guide can access real-time, accurate, and up-to-date State and Federal funding data and programming to learn more about eligibility requirements, grant types, application availability, and other topics.
“These unprecedented federal COVID-19 recovery funds appropriated to DOLA by the General Assembly are critically important for local governments to access. The local community funding guide is designed to ensure these many new programs and resources are easily accessible and detailed in one place.” Rick Garcia, Executive Director
By presenting a more streamlined product that is simple to identify a program that their local government or community-based organization is eligible for, this updated guide seeks to reduce the time and costs spent by the State’s stakeholders and constituents.
How to Use The Local Community Funding Guide
The local funding guide is a table with a detailed description of state funding opportunities.
To make information more accessible and the table easier to navigate, the information in this table has been condensed so that it only displays the data that is visible in the headers at the top. Click the hyperlink of the relevant row under the “Program” header to view further information or specifics about a given funding program.
There are six different filter options. In order to help narrow their options, users can select as many of these as they desire. Additionally, local governments and community-based organizations can enter keywords in the “type to search” field. By selecting their preferred “sort by” option from the vertical 3-dot menu above the table on the right, users can additionally filter.
Please visit DOLA’s Local Community Funding Guide for the most up-to-date information on funding opportunities across the State of Colorado.
A Proclamation on Veterans Day: We honor generations of patriots who have earned the title of “American veteran” — a badge of courage that unites the finest group of former service members the world has ever known. With their selfless sacrifice, our Armed Forces have forged and defended the very idea of America — a promise of freedom and equality, democracy and justice, possibility and hope. We owe them an incredible debt that can never be fully repaid.
Colorado Governor
Governor Polis and the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO), within the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), announced the seven recipients of the Tourism Recovery Marketing Grant funding. The recipients granted this funding come from all across the state. The goal of this grant program is to support the economic recovery of the travel and tourism industry and attract visitors to Colorado cities and towns that are still recovering from the pandemic.
Denver Mayor
Mayor Hancock, DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero and partners from Goodr, Amazon and Aetna will be on hand to officially open a new school-based, free grocery store concept to support DPS students and families facing food insecurity. The Goodr Grocery store will allow families to shop for groceries, including fresh produce, shelf-stable items, meat, and more – minus the price tag. The concept is being brought to Denver following Mayor Hancock’s visit to the Atlanta site and thanks to the financial support of Amazon and Aetna.
Rwanda Republic of accuses Congo ofDemocratic provocation – Rwanda issued a statement accusing the Democratic Republic of Congo of “provocation” because a military jet crossed into its territory. Tensions between the two countries have been high after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of backing a rebel group in the east of the country. The jet touched down at an airport in Rwanda then returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Top militant leaders killed in Nigeria – Nigeria announced that two leading officials from the Islamic State West Africa Province were killed in air strikes. The officials, Ali Kwaya and Bukar Mainoka, were senior members of the extremist group’s Shura Council. The air strikes also hit vehicles ithat attempt carried injured jihadists to a hideout.
Asia
iPhones delayed because of lockdown in China – Apple warned that its products may be delayed because of a strict COVID-19 lockdown at an assembly plant in China. The plant is operating at a significantly reduced capacity because of China’s “zero-COVID” policy. The district that is home to the factory was locked down for seven days. Recent figures show China’s economy is struggling because of challenges like COVID-19 restrictions.
Pakistan investigating shooting of opposition leader – Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered a police investigation into an attack that left opposition leader Imran Khan wounded. Khan, the country’s former prime minister, was shot in the leg at a protest last week. Another person was killed while 10 others were injured. Khan accused the current prime minister, interior minister and army general of trying to kill him.
Europe
Russia accused of strikes – First responders accused Russia and Syria of a massacre after strikes on camps in the opposition-northwest part of Syria, left hundreds of families displaced. Air strikes hit camps for displaced people in the Idlib province. At least three children and a woman died from the attacks. Russia said Syrian warplanes struck a jihadist group’s drone facility and training camp.
Spanish police claim largest ever cannabis seizure – Spanish police say they seized more than 32 tons of cannabis that has an estimated street value of more than $57 million. The drug was seized in a series of raids across Spain that resulted in the arrest of nine men and 11 women. The group was involved in a business network that exported the drugs across Europe.
Latin America
Flooding leaves six people dead in Dominican Republic – Torrential rains in the Dominican Republic killed at least six people. Poor drainage in the country has caused streets to be flooded. Others have been reported as missing while hundreds of homes have also been damaged. Meteorologists said they were surprised by the strength of the downpour of rain, despite knowing heavy rain was approaching
Protesters/police clash in Peru – Demonstrators calling for Peruvian President Pedro Castillo to resign over corruption allegations flooded the streets in Lima. Thousands of people participated in anti-government matches before riot police used tear gas to disperse them. No injuries were reported from the use of tear gas. Castillo is being investigated and insists he has committed no crimes.
North America
Lotto hits $1.9 billion prize – The United States Powerball jackpot is now at $1.9 billion, a world record. The lottery has had no winner for more than three months. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million. The last time the jackpot was won was in August when a winning ticket paid out $206.9 million.
Flu hospital cases increase – Flu hospital admissions are at the highest rate in ten years in the United States. Adults have received five million fewer flu shots this year compared to the same time last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 730 people have died from the virus this year. There have been at least 1.6 million flu cases overall this year.
