Two women found dead an hour apart in different parks an in Atlanta

 

2 women were found murdered, hours apart, in Atlanta parks. (L)Katherine Janness' dog was also killed. The knife attack was so horrific the family was not allowed to id the body. The other woman, Tori Lang(R) was found shot in a separate parks.

Two women found dead  hours apart in different parks an in Atlanta

Killers have not been identified and are still on the loose

By Edward Era Barbacena

A woman and her dog were brutally stabbed to death early Wednesday at Atlanta’s Piedmont Park in what police described as a “gruesome” scene. Another woman found fatally shot at Yellow river park, the two murders was just an hour apart.  Piedmont park is 21miles from the Yellow River park and it will only take 31 minute drive from one park to the other.

Katherine Janness, 40, was found dead at Piedmont park around 1 a.m., along with her slain dog Bowie. Police said that Janness had been stabbed multiple times. Tori lang on the hand was found fatally shot under a tree in Yellow River park

Police released her identity Thursday, after Lang's distinct tattoos helped identify her.

Janess’ partner of seven years Emma Clark said that Janness went to walk Bowie after dinner but never returned, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When she didn't come home, Clark tracked her phone's location and went to the park, where she discovered her girlfriend dead. 

 In the case of Lang, Police in Gwinnett County said they have identified the person officers found shot and killed under a tree at Yellow River Park after receiving a call about a medical situation.

Officers responded to the park around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 28, police said, and found the woman "deceased from apparent gunshot wounds." 

On Thursday police identified the person as Tori Lang, 18.

As of Wednesday, she had not been identified and the Gwinnett County Police Department was hoping the public could help point them in the right direction.

Tori Lang

Police described her as a light-skinned Black woman believed to be between the ages of 20-35. They said she had three identifiable tattoos - one a heart cross tattoo with the date of 8-16-07 on it-- pink or reddish in color on the right side of her neck, another on the left side of her neck that says "faith makes all possible" and what appears to be roman lettering with the date 9-16-2002 on her wrist. 

Alyssa Babbage and Juwan Davis, two of Lang's friends, said the second they saw photos of the tattoos circulating online, their hearts broke.

"I saw a post with pictures of her tattoos and I just knew right off the bat that it was her," said Babbage. "I know her tattoos. She used to talk to me about them saying, 'I have this one, I'm about to get this one.'"…

"The one on her neck, behind her neck, that was the one that really stood out," Davis said.

But what really stood out, they tell 11Alive, was her personality and love for her family. Both friends said she was funny and a go-getter. 

Babbage said Lang was an only child who graduated high school with her just last year. She adds that Lang was thinking of enrolling in an online college and that the ambitious teenager at one point had three jobs.

"She was very caring to anybody," she added. "She was willing to give. If she had it and you needed it, no matter if she knew you or not, she was going to give it to you if she had it. I just know how much her parents and family in general meant to her."

Babbage said the last time she saw her friend, who she's known since middle school, was Saturday, when Lang asked if Babbage could braid her hair.

She never imagined that'd be the last time talking to her.

"I was in shock because it's sad," she added. "She was very young and she was a very good person. Really, she really was. I'm going to miss her a lot. I haven't really grasped the fact that she's not going to be here, but she's going to be here."

Yellow River park where Tori Lang was found fatally shot

Neither friend knows why Lang would be in the Gwinnett County park, and they send their condolences to the family.

"She was a cool, loving person, she didn't bother anybody. That's crazy. One day you're here, the next one you're gone," said Davis, who was in high school with the teenager.

Police said the motive is still unknown and there are currently no immediate suspects. 

Back to Janess, the FBI confirmed with ABC News it is now joining the Atlanta Police Department’s investigation into her death, So far, no arrests have been made in the case.

Katherine Janness, 40, was found dead at Piedmont park around 1 a.m., along with her slain dog Bowie.

Janness, a bartender at Campagnolo restaurant in Midtown, was found by her wife just inside the 10th Street gate of Piedmont Park just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday. Investigators said Janness’ longtime girlfriend discovered her body in the park after pinging her phone when she did not return from walking Bowie.

According to Atlanta Police, Janness was stabbed multiple times in what Deputy Chief Charles Hampton described to the media as a “gruesome” attack. APD has added extra patrols around the park in response to the incident.

The Atlanta Police Department will conduct a “tactical canvass” of Piedmont Park on Saturday afternoon for clues in the brutal stabbing death of Katherine Janness and her dog.

Police continue to appeal to the public for help in finding who stabbed Janness, 40, as she walked her dog, Bowie, in the park in the early morning hours of  July 28. A $10,000 reward for information is still on offer.

Police have shared a surveillance image showing Janness crossing a street near the park before she was found dead.

On Thursday more than 100 people attended a vigil for Janness at the park, where her partner’s father described the killer as a “monster.”

A memorial for Katherine Janness and her dog Bowie begins to form at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, July 28, 2021. Janness, 40, was found dead in Piedmont Park around 1 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Her dog had also been killed.

“What they did to her is ridiculous. There is a monster on the loose in the city of Atlanta,” Joe Clark said according to ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV.

“It’s a gruesome scene,” deputy police Chief Charles Hampton said to the outlet on the murder.

Police have since added five mounted patrol units to the park, a popular area for locals and dog walkers. Police have combed the area this week and divers went in and out of the lake for hours Wednesday searching for potential evidence.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that could help lead to an arrest.

 

Jewish man allegedly assaulted while walking dog in Toronto neighbourhood

Toronto resident Sam Brody violently attacked by "Free Palestine" protesters because he was wearing a kippa.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Toronto man says he became the target of an assault and anti-Semitic slurs while he was out walking his dog on Wednesday.

Sam Brody says he was walking his dog at around 9 a.m. near his midtown home when a man approached him.

“As we passed him, he stopped and body checked me into the fence here. I fell down to the ground.”

The 29-year-old man believes he was targeted because he was wearing a Jewish skullcap or kippa

“This brazen assault comes amid an unprecedented surge of physical attacks on Canadian Jews,” B'nai Brith Canada writes in a statement. “A recent assault on a Jewish man near his home in broad daylight is just the latest in a disturbing trend of attacks on Jews stemming from anti-Israel sentiment."

Brody says the attack came out of nowhere, and he didn’t know what to do.

“I was scared, like I don’t know what he was going to do after that,” Brody said. “Someone to hit me like that out of the blue, knock me to the ground, say something like that … I don’t know what he was going to do next. I’m just scared, I’m still kind of scared now, shaken up.”

Brody now worries the man lives in his Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood where he recently moved to with his wife.

Brody complained to Toronto police and said officers came by to interview him.

"At this time we can confirm that we have a report on file for an assault which occurred in the morning hours of Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue area,” police told CTV News Toronto. “The investigation is active and ongoing”

Brody posted about the assault on Facebook and while he was speaking with CTV Toronto on his street, a woman named Eden Spodek recognized him from the posting.

“I think it is horrible. I can’t believe this is 2021 and this is happening in Toronto. I’ve lived here most of my life. I’ve lived in a smaller centre,” Spodek said.

“I know what it is like to really be a minority, and be Jewish. It is just very disturbing, distressing. All hate crimes are equally disturbing and distressing."

B'nai Brith Canada reports that in May alone there were 154 incidents of harassment, 51 incidents of vandalism and 61 incidents of violence.

B'nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn tells CTV News Toronto that the Jewish community is scared.

“It is not acceptable and that is why we trust that police will find the perpetrator that the person will be prosecuted under the law,” he said.

“There needs to be consequences and individuals need to know that there is a red line when it comes to hate, hateful acts, hateful rhetoric will not tolerated in this country.”

 

41 year old Javad Foroughi, who is accused of being a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a "terrorist" , won the gold medal in the 10-metre air pistol event on Tokyo Olympics.

Accused global terrorist won gold in Tokyo Olympics

  "How can a terrorist win gold at the Olympics? It's absurd and ridiculous.". 

By Edward Era Barbacena

Tokyo - . The contested medal is the one won by the Iranian Javad Foroughi, who triumphed at the Olympics in shooting with the 10-meter pistol. 

The Tokyo Olympics were shaken by the controversy surrounding the awarding of a gold medal to " a terrorist ". The contested prize is the one won by the 41-year-old Iranian athlete Javad Foroughi , who triumphed last Saturday in the 10-meter air pistol final shooting, dedicating his sporting success, as reported by Alarabya , to Ayatollah Khamenei. However, this victory is strongly contested by shooters from other countries and by humanitarian NGOs because they accuse Foroughi of belonging to a terrorist organization.

Iran's netizens are sharing these two images and saying: On the right is the IRGC paramilitary Basij member who shot protesters from a rooftop in Tehran during the 2009 uprising, On the left is Javad Foroughi. 

The 41-year-old, who served in Syria as a nurse between 2013 and 2015, is in fact accused of being a member of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), that is, of a military formation in Tehran inserted by the US, in 2019, precisely in the list of terrorist groups. Consequently, Pasdaran Foroughi - protesters argue - should not even have participated in the Olympics, as the aims and bloodthirsty activities of the aforementioned Iranian militia are incompatible with the values ​​of sport.

To start the controversy regarding the participation and victory of the 41-year-old was, reconstructs the Corriere dello Sport , the South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh, winner of silver in Beijing 2008 and gold in London 2012 but eliminated in the qualifiers for Tokyo 2020, who complained:

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh has called Iranian gold medalist Javad Foroughi "a terrorist" and questioned why he was allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Foroughi is a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps labelled a terrorist organisation by the US in 2019. 

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh has lashed out at the International Olympic Committee labelling gold medal winner Javad Foroughi, who is a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a "terrorist"

 "How can a terrorist win gold at the Olympics? It's absurd and ridiculous."

In comments reported by the Korea Times, the six-times Olympic medallist added it was “pure nonsense” to allow Javad Foroughi to compete in the Tokyo Games given his membership in a militia of the IRGC, which was labelled a terrorist organisation by the US in 2019.

The campaign group United for Navid, set up after the execution of the Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari after he protested against the regime, has also urged the IOC ethics commission to launch an immediate investigation. It also warned that the IOC was “complicit in promoting terrorism and crimes against humanity” if it failed to act.

The human rights NGO United for Navid, created in memory of the fighting champion Navid Afkari, executed by the authorities of the Islamic country for having protested against the republic, contributed to strengthening the disputes about the medal won by the Iranian athlete. 

The representatives of the association in question addressed the following harsh words to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), regarding the decision of this institution to admit the " terrorist " Foroughi to the five circles tournament and to have him awarded:

"We consider the awarding of the Olympic gold medal to Javad Foroughi to be a catastrophenot only for Iranian sport but also for the international community, and above all for the reputation of the IOC. Foroughi has long been a member of a terrorist organization. 41-year-old Foroughi is a current and longtime member of a terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guards have a history of violence and killing not only of Iranian people and demonstrators, but also of innocent people in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon."

The IOC immediately reacted to the accusations launched by the United for Navid activists by inviting them to demonstrate the actual belonging to the pasdaran of the Iranian shooter indicted, with Mark Adams, spokesman of the same committee, who addressed the former stating precisely: " If they have the proof , we are here ". However, it is precisely the Tehran press that claims, from the homepage of the Javan website , the shooter's membership of the Guardians of the Revolution, celebrating Foroughi's triumph with phrases such as " an unexpected medal ... won by a guard nurse who is at the same time defender of health and of the sanctuary ".

Members of Mexico's softball team appeared to have left official uniforms and gear behind in Tokyo. 

 

Mexico’s softball team under fire for dumping Olympic uniform in trash can

By Edward Era Barbacena

The Mexican Olympic Committee expressed disappointment that its softball team appeared to have left the Olympic Games this week with bedding from the Olympic Village rather than with the players' official uniforms and apparel, which were reportedly found in the trash.

Mexico’s softball team angered fans and fellow athletes this week after a photo that went viral on social media showed their uniform in a trash can at Tokyo’s Olympic Village.

"It's regrettable that they left behind the uniforms in such an inappropriate place as the garbage in favor of some bedspreads from the Olympic Village," committee president Carlos Padilla told ESPN.

The country's softball team, with a roster of 14 American players and one born in Mexico, finished fourth with a 3-2 loss to Canada in Tuesday's bronze-medal game. The Tokyo Olympics were Mexico's first foray into Olympic softball.

In condemning the action, the country's softball federation said in a statement Thursday that it would investigate the matter, and that players found responsible will no longer represent Mexico.

Welterweight boxer Brianda Tamara Cruz, who is representing Mexico in Tokyo, took to social media to post pictures of gear allegedly found in the trash at the Olympic Village, which the committee considers an "affront to the [national] identity" because the uniforms include the Mexican flag on the chest.

"This uniform represents years of effort, sacrifice and tears," Cruz's tweet read in Spanish. "All of us who are Mexican athletes yearn to wear it with dignity, and today sadly the Mexican softball team left it in the Olympic Village's trash."

Sources told ESPN Mexico that around 10 additional sets of equipment were found in the garbage, including apparel from the opening ceremony, sneakers and even suitcases.

Rolando Guerrero, the president of Mexico's softball federation and its former head coach, blamed insufficient luggage space for his players' actions and added that some even left behind expensive fielding gloves.

"If it was in the trash and people were sniffing around, they had to make room in their luggage because for a softball team it's not the same packing 33 bats, catchers' equipment, game gear, three uniforms and workout clothes as it is to pack a pair of gloves," Guerrero said. "It's much easier to pack a pair of gloves, all due respect. We won't be going after anyone or responding, or rebutting anything on social media. It was simply a matter of too much cargo."

Mario Garcia, the Mexico Olympic Committee's secretary general, told ESPN Mexico that more could have been done to help the team avoid issues with cargo. The official gear, he said, could have been shipped separately, as was done with the apparel for the opening ceremony.

However, he said, the team also could have eliminated excessive cargo or packed uniforms in carry-on luggage. Garcia added that the team could face further discipline from the committee or even legal sanctions.

Several players responded on Instagram Thursday night, saying they had "no intention of disrespecting our country or our flag."

Source: ESPN

 

Alexis Saborit, Man Accused of Beheading America Thayer, Has History of Domestic Abuse

Minnesota woman beheaded, boyfriend dumps her body on the pavement and took her head

Graphic video of the beheading was circulating on social media.

By  Edward Era Barbacena

MINNEAPOLIS — A 42-year-old Shakopee man is charged with beheading his girlfriend in Shakopee.

Alexis Saborit was charged Friday in Scott County with one felony count of second-degree murder with intent in connection with a woman’s death earlier this week.

Alexis Saborit Charged With Beheading Girlfriend In Shakopee

Shakopee police officers responded at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street on the report of a stabbing incident. A 55-year-old woman, identified as America Mafalda Thayer of Shakopee, was found on the sidewalk near the intersection and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police later confirmed that the woman had been beheaded. Saborit was arrested soon after and taken to Scott County Jail, where he remains in custody.

Criminal Complaint Details

According to the criminal complaint, multiple witnesses told police they saw a male suspect attacking a woman inside a car and later taking her body out of the vehicle at the intersection. The suspect then left on foot down an alley.

A black sheath for a “machete-style knife” was located by officers in the grass a few feet from the crime scene. A black machete was later discovered by a dog in a garden near the intersection.

Additional evidence was discovered in a recycling bin near the crime scene, including clothing and another knife, police said.

America Mafalda Thayer, 55, had been abused by the suspect, colleagues saidCredit: Facebook

The victim, Shakopee resident America Mafalda Thayer, was an employee of MyPillow, according to Fox-9 Minneapolis. Alexis Saborit, 42, also of Shakopee, was reportedly in an abusive long-term relationship with her, and he was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, according to the Shakopee Police Department.

Graphic video of the beheading was circulating on social media.

Aerial footage of the scene showed a tarp set up by investigators. (credit: CBS)

According to police, the suspect and victim have had a long-term romantic relationship that police are familiar with; the incident is not believed to be a random act. The complaint said some of the officers at the crime scene were familiar with the victim and knew her to have a boyfriend, identified as Saborit. He also matched the description of the suspect from witnesses.

In a search, officers said they found Saborit walking in the area of Shenandoah Parkway and Highway 101, which is about 1.5 miles east of the crime scene. He was arrested in a nearby parking lot.

In a post-Miranda interview with police, Saborit said that he and the victim were on their way to his court appearance together prior to the incident. Police said he told them that he attacked her when she said she wanted to end their relationship.

“The Shakopee Police Department also wants to express its appreciation to the agencies who responded to assist on the incident. The department would also like to extend its condolences to the family of the victim,” police said in a release.

Saborit has a criminal history, including a 2017 conviction for domestic assault out of Carver County. He also had a conviction in 2018 for interfering with a police officer.

Saborit was convicted in 2017 of domestic assault in Carver County, according to CBS-4 Minnesota.

Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate told ABC-5 he was "incredibly disappointed" that cellphone video of the attack was posted on social media.

The killing comes just days after the Minneapolis City Council voted 11-1 to put a measure on the November election ballot to disband the Minneapolis Police Department in favor of a public safety department.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd last year.

If convicted, Saborit faces up to 40 years in prison.

 

Dr. Faisal Khan, acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Health

A professional Asian Doctor humiliated and called with racial slurs by a majority of white crowds for pushing with mask mandates

Khan said the unmasked crowd jeered at him, jostled him around, called him racial slurs, and mocked his accent.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Faisal Khan, a public health doctor in Missouri's St. Louis County, spoke at a council meeting on Tuesday about the importance of enforcing a mask mandate in the area, where more than half of the population is unvaccinated, during a surge of infections from the Delta variant.

But Khan said the unmasked crowd jeered at him, jostled him around, called him racial slurs, and mocked his accent.

Khan, who is the acting director for the St. Louis County Department of Health, said that as he walked out of the meeting, he was shoulder-checked and jostled by some people in the crowd.

Once he was outside the chambers, he said he was surrounded by a hostile group, some of whom called him a "fat brown cunt" and a "brown bastard."

"After being physically assaulted, called racist slurs, and surrounded by an angry mob, I expressed my displeasure by using my middle finger toward an individual who had physically threatened me and called me racist slurs," Khan said in a letter to the council chairperson, Rita Days, on Wednesday.

Khan told BuzzFeed News on Thursday that while he regrets losing his composure momentarily, he had just about had it.

"I was shaking from the whole experience," Khan said. "I've never experienced anything like that in the more than 25 years that I've been in public health service."

His pleas to enforce the mask mandate were not successful.

The St. Louis County Council voted 5–2 to rescind the county mandate on Tuesday, a day after it was introduced, saying that it didn't comply with state laws about public health orders.

A video shared on Twitter showed the crowd break out in cheers after the council's vote - the same savage crowd that insulted Khan.

The incident is indicative of the anger, confusion, and chaos over the renewed push for mask-wearing across the country in light of the highly infectious Delta variant that now makes up more than 80% of cases in the US.

The anger and abuse directed at Khan are also similar to experiences faced by many public health officials in the US as they continue to fight not only a deadly virus, but also an ongoing political and cultural war over masks and vaccinations.

"It is truly unfortunate that the worst public health crisis in 100 years has been politicized from the onset at the national level and on the state and local level across the country," Khan said. "That is the worst possible damage to public health infrastructure in the US."

Khan bemoaned the loss of at least 250 public health officials who have left or have been forced out of their jobs after being vilified while struggling with the mental, physical, and emotional toll of the pandemic.

"I'm just profoundly sad at the state we find ourselves in as public health officials," Khan said. "We have only one job — to serve people and safeguard their health. We should not be dragged into political theater."

Khan said that he was invited to the county council meeting on Tuesday evening to explain the public health rationale behind implementing a mask mandate that had been announced just a day earlier by St. Louis County executive Sam Page and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones.

But the county council disagreed with the executive branch on the mechanism by which the mandate had been rolled out without their permission, Khan said.

A political rally held before Tuesday's council meeting had stoked the crowd into a frenzy with anti-mask speeches and slogans, so Khan said that when he stepped up to the lectern, the anger in the crowd was palpable. He said he could hear the jeers and taunts behind him.

Khan accused one of the Republican council members, Tim Fitch, of questioning him with "xenophobic dogwhistles" that were designed to paint him as "a foreigner, a migrant, and a non-licensed brown physician who was not trained in the US."

Khan, a US citizen since 2013, clarified that while he was not licensed to practice clinical medicine in the US, he was a public health professional by training and had worked as an epidemiologist in numerous countries, including Australia, Vietnam, Pakistan, South Africa, China, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the US.

After Fitch's line of questioning, Khan said he could hear people in the crowd calling him a "quack," "a jerk," and "not a real doctor."

Some people mocked his accent by impersonating Apu, the racist caricature from The Simpsons, he said.

"I'm saddened not by the racist and vile personal abuse directed at me after I left the meeting or the physical jostling, but by the fact that Tuesday's meeting was a superspreader event," Khan said. "That was the first thing that struck me as I looked across the sea of unmasked faces."

Khan said he does not expect an apology or a response to his letter to the council chairwoman outlining his experience and calling for an investigation into what happened.

Days told BuzzFeed News on Friday that she was going to look into the situation and ask the local police department if Khan had filed a report on his allegations of physical assault.

"What has happened to Dr. Khan is truly regretful," Days said, adding that as a Black woman in Missouri she did not condone racism.

However, Days said she did not think Tuesday's council meeting was out of order. She said that while the crowd was "energetic" and not in favor of masks, only a couple of people behind Khan made comments during his speech and they immediately quieted down when told to.

She added that Khan showing his middle finger to the crowd while walking away was "unprofessional."

Days also did not believe that Fitch's line of questioning was inappropriate. She said that he was trying to make sure everybody knew that Khan was authorized and licensed in Missouri to issue health orders.

Days said the she was against enforcing the mask mandate because it went against a recent state law that said any kind of order on public health issues had to come before the county council.

She also said that it would be impossible to legally enforce a mask mandate and that she didn't want the local police to spend their time "trying to run down people who aren't wearing masks."

Days said she would wait until Khan's "media campaign" was over before potentially having a one-to-one conversation with him about his letter.

A spokesperson for Fitch said he was "tied up on his regular day job until at least 2 p.m. St. Louis time."

Khan has not received any threats after his appearance at the meeting, but he said he had asked for and received an additional security detail.

"This has been a scary and jarring experience for me and my family," he said.

But he said the experience has not deterred him from continuing to serve the public. He said that he was inspired by the commitment of Anthony Fauci, who, as the public face of the country's scientific response to the pandemic, has been subjected to threats against his life and his family.

Khan asked people to think of the CDC's recent revised mask policy in terms of a "battlefield strategy" where public health officials have to constantly adjust their tactics and approaches to counter the enemy's new weapons, i.e., the virus strains.

However, Khan said that "populist point-scoring tactics" that played out during Tuesday's meeting could potentially lead to "more disease, more infections, more misery, and more death."

"We've ended up looking like those people whose house is on fire," he said, "and we're standing in front of it arguing about which particular fire hydrant should we connect our fire hose to."

 

Military  deployed to enforce lockdown in Sydney

By Edward Barbacena

Australia has deployed hundreds of soldiers to Sydney to help enforce a Covid lockdown.

A Delta outbreak which began in June has produced nearly 3,000 infections and led to nine deaths.

Australian Defence Force soldiers will undergo training on the weekend before beginning unarmed patrols on Monday.

But many have questioned whether the military intervention is necessary, calling it heavy-handed.

The lockdown - in place until at least 28 August - bars people from leaving their home except for essential exercise, shopping, caregiving and other reasons.

Despite five weeks of lockdown, infections in the nation's largest city continue to spread. Officials recorded 170 new cases on Friday.

Soldiers will join police in virus hotspots to ensure people are following the rules, which include a 10km (6.2 miles) travel limit.

State Police Minister David Elliott said it would help because a small minority of Sydneysiders thought "the rules didn't apply to them".

Information provided by health officials indicates the virus is mainly spreading through permitted movement.

The Australian Lawyers Alliance, a civil rights group, called the deployment a "concerning use" of the army in a liberal democracy.

The outbreak has largely affected critical workers and large family groups in the city's poorer and ethnically diverse west and south-west suburbs. About two million people live there.

Critics say those areas have already faced "targeted" policing measures. They point out restrictions there are harsher than for the rest of Sydney.

"Our people are one of the poorest demographics, and as it is, they already feel picked on and marginalised," said Steve Christou, one local mayor.

"They can't afford to pay the mortgage, the rent, the food or work. Now to throw out the army to enforce lockdown on the streets is going to be a huge issue to these people," he told SBS.

Others have called for the government to increase its vaccine drive and support services for the affected communities.

Australia's rate of vaccination - 17% of the adult population - remains one of the lowest among OECD nations.

Source: BBC

 

Daiki Hashimoto of Japan holds the national flag after ending his exercises in the men's artistic gymnastics individual all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics on July 28, 2021, at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in the capital. He won gold. (Kyodo) 

Olympic gymnastics champ Daiki Hashimoto breaks  silence  to scoring criticism

As Japan celebrates Daiki Hashimoto's victory, Chinese nationalists  question results and accuse judges of favoritism by allegedly inflating Hashimoto's score.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Tokyo-Japanese gymnast Daiki Hashimoto has broken his silence to critics on social media claiming he got an unfairly high score for his gold medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics.

"I'm sorry my performance led to controversial judging on a stage like the Tokyo Olympics," he wrote in an Instagram post late Thursday night. "I hope more people will praise the athletes who have worked hard to represent their country and not resort to what appears to be defamation."

Chaos on the men's gymnastics race settled after Chinese gymnast Xiao Ruoteng, who lost to Japan's Daiki Hashimoto due to alleged "panel favoritism," asked fans to be rational and not to attack other athletes.

Critics on social media took aim at Hashimoto's performance in the men's all-around final on Wednesday, in particular his score of 14.7 on the vault despite stepping off the mat on the landing. His combined score of 88.465 meant China's Xiao Ruoteng had to settle for silver.

"A gold medal which is stolen from the other country, the Olympic spirit is a (expletive)!!!!!" one Twitter user wrote.

Ruoteng's fans are  furious over Daiki Hashimoto's Gold medal in Men's overall Gymnastics. Chinese claim that the decision was totally unfair and Japanese cheated and openly stole the Gold Medal disgracing the spirit of Gymnastics.

Others praised the Japanese gymnast, who at 19 years old became the youngest-ever Olympic champion in the event. "Daiki Hashimoto is a generational talent," another Twitter user posted.

Hashimoto said judging can be a hard pill to swallow for athletes but that is part of the game.

"We have to accept difficult results sometimes, like I did on the rings. The scores are not subjective but rather based on the objective assessment of the judges. All of the athletes know that," he wrote.

"My score on the vault may look off, but the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) has issued official results, and the point deduction is there."

The criticism led the FIG, the world's governing body of gymnastics, to issue Thursday a rare statement confirming that the judging was "fair and accurate."

The Chinese gymnast has also posted an online message, saying he hopes everyone will "not excessively attack athletes" as they are "all awesome and making efforts for their goals."

The incident added to a growing list of athletes at the Tokyo Olympics to be attacked online including American star gymnast Simone Biles, who has withdrawn from all of her events so far to address mental health issues.

Another Japanese gymnast, Mai Murakami, said she was also targeted on social medial following her fifth-place finish in the women's all-around final on Thursday.

"I didn't want to, but I saw some hurtful comments and it made me really sad. It's unfortunate," she said teary-eyed.

 

Aimee Matzen, 44, finds herself in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana woman regrets for not being vaccinated as she suffers from difficulty of breathing due to Covid-19 infection

Since masks and the vaccine have been weaponized and spoliticized, public health ads should feature Aimee Matzen along with other American's who survived Covid-19 to promote the vaccine.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Yet another American hospitalized with coronavirus is voicing regret for not getting vaccinated.

Sitting in her hospital room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Aimee Matzen struggled to breathe as she described how exhausting it is to have Covid-19.

Aimee Matzen, an intensive care patient at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, was interviewed by CNN.

"What does it feel like to have COVID?" CNN correspondent Miguel Marquez ask.

"Exhausting. Extremely frustrating. Tiring," she said while she struggled to breathe. "And the fact that I am here now, I am furious with myself."

"Why?" Marquez ask.

"Because I was not vaccinated," she replied.

Matzen, 44, finds herself in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. She is receiving oxygen treatments and hopes she stays well enough to avoid getting hooked up to a ventilator.

"I don't want anyone else winding up like me. Especially because the vaccine is so easy to get now," she said. "I have this feeling ... if I was vaccinated, I wouldn't be hospitalized."

Louisiana stands among those hardest hit by the most recent rise in cases, driven in large part by the Delta variant.

The state has the highest 7-day average of new cases per-capita in the country, at 77 cases reported per 100,000 residents each day over the past week, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Louisiana's vaccination rate is among the lowest in the country, with just 37% of residents fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's the fifth lowest in the country, and Louisiana is one of six states that has less than 38% of residents fully vaccinated.

The state's largest healthcare system, Ochsner, has seen a 700% increase in Covid-19 patients over the last month and a 75% increase in the last week, officials said during a news conference on Wednesday.

And the vast majority of those patients -- 88%, according to Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas -- are unvaccinated.

"This is absolutely disproportionately hitting folks that are unvaccinated," Thomas said. "Those are the folks that in a very high majority we're seeing coming to the hospital."

Matzen told CNN she was not opposed to getting vaccinated -- she just hadn't gotten around to it. Every time she planned to get inoculated, "something would come up," she said.

"I have this feeling ... if I was vaccinated, I wouldn't be hospitalized," Matzen said.

Source: CNN

 

UFC Legend Ronda Rousey defends Simone Biles from harsh critics 

It takes an athlete to understand the pressure felt  by another athlete and not by some petty keyboard warriors and a racist college dropout

By Edward Era Barbacena

UFC legend Ronda Rousey has jumped to the defence of Simone Biles after the gymnastics queen was forced to withdraw from the women's team final in Tokyo.

Biles - who is arguably the greatest gymnast of all-time - pulled out of the main event after her very first vault, citing mental health concerns.

The 24-year-old admits she didn't "trust herself as much" as she used to and therefore made the decision to withdraw.

Unfortunately, Biles' tough call was viciously scorned  with a barrage of vile abuse from fans who slammed her for 'turning her back on the team' and 'giving up'.

The worst among the worse In particular, is the college dropout Charlie Kirk called her a "selfish sociopath" and a "shame to the country".

Consevative activist and a college dropout Charlie Kirk

"We are raising a generation of weak people like Simone Biles," he said on his radio station as a commentator.  

Former UFC champion Rousey wasn't onboard with the idea of kicking her compatriot while she was down and immediately fired back at the harsh critics.

"Everyone judging Simone Biles doesn't know their foot from their a**hole when it comes to being in her position," Rousey wrote on Twitter.

"She's on the Olympic team while you're on Twitter. Whatever is going on cannot be grasped from outside. She's doing the absolute best she can given the situation she's in."

Others were also quick to chime in, condemning the keyboard warriors for bombarding Biles with abuse on social media.

But while some went to town on the sleuths, others took to the time to praise Biles for her brave decision - a call that could ultimately impact Biles' ambitions of equalling Larisa Latynina's all-time women's record of nine Olympic golds.

"I can't imagine the pressure Simone has been feeling," retired figure skater Adam Rippon said.

"Sending her SO much love. It easy to forget she's still human. WE LOVE YOU."

The United States quartet ended up losing the team event to the Russians, who clinched gold for the first time since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

As for Biles, she's yet to confirm whether she's officially withdrawing from the rest of the Games too.

"I have to do what's right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardise my health and my wellbeing," Biles said.

"I just don't trust myself as much as I used to, and I don't know if it's age. I'm a little bit more nervous when I do gymnastics," she admitted.

"I feel like I'm also not having as much fun, and I know that this Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself," she said, as she began to cry, and she was comforted by her teammates.

"It just sucks that it happens here at the Olympics Games. With the year that it's been, I'm really not surprised the way it played out."

Michael Andrew would not wear a mask while speaking with the media in Tokyo.

 

Unvaccinated American swimmer Michael Andrew refused to wear his mask, but USOPC says he didn't violate rules

By Edward Era Barbacena

TOKYO —  Even though Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel and every other U.S. swimmer has worn a mask while doing interviews with journalists at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, and Tokyo is in a state of emergency due to the pandemic, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has decided to allow unvaccinated swimmer Michael Andrew to not wear a mask.

Citing the Tokyo playbook of COVID-19 protocols released in June, the USOPC said that athletes can remove their masks for interviews. But every U.S. swimmer other than Andrew has worn a mask in mixed zone interviews and press conferences throughout the Olympic competition, which has gone on for seven days. 

Andrew, the highest profile unvaccinated American Olympian, refused to wear a mask in the mixed zone after finishing a disappointing fifth in the men’s 200-meter individual medley Friday morning. 

USA TODAY Sports shared the news and a photo of Andrew on Twitter soon afterward, then received this comment from the USOPC:

“Not wearing a mask is a violation of the COVID mitigation protocols put in place by both the USOPC and TOCOG (the Tokyo Olympic organizers) – protocols we have been adamant in following as a delegation. We are currently reviewing this matter with the National Governing Body and will take action as needed.”

But the USOPC reversed course several hours later, saying that while Andrew “has been reminded of the Games policy and established COVID mitigation protocols,” he is allowed to be maskless during interviews.

Swimmer Michael Andrew (USA), the highest profile unvaccinated American Olympian, refused to wear a mask in the mixed zone.

  

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, USA TODAY SPORTS

When asked by USA TODAY Sports why he was not wearing a mask like all his U.S. teammates, Andrew said, “For me it’s pretty hard to breathe in after kind of sacrificing my body in the water, so I feel like my health is a little more tied to being able to breathe than protecting what’s coming out of my mouth.”

He continued: “I think it’s great that there’s procedures, but at the end of the day, all of us here have been under quarantine and in the same testing protocol, so there’s a level of safety (that's) comfortable when we’re racing.” 

When asked again why he is the only American not masked up, Andrew, 22, said, “No reason. I’ll throw it on when I’m done here, but to speak, it’s difficult, probably people can hear me.”

In dozens of interviews in the mixed zone over the last week, American swimmers have dutifully worn their masks and been heard clearly by journalists. 

Andrew, the American record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke who has failed to win a medal in two events at these Games, said three weeks ago that he didn’t want taking the COVID-19 vaccine to interfere with his training schedule.

 

DAMAGED. This photo released by the Northern Samar Police Provincial Office shows one of 10 heavy equipment torched by New People’s Army rebels in Las Navas town on Thursday (July 29, 2021). The incident will cause delay in the construction of a new highway that will connect the towns of Jipapad in Eastern Samar and Las Navas. (Photo courtesy of NSPPO)

Communist rebels in the Philippines, the New People's Army (NPA) set construction equipments on ablaze in Las Navas, Northern Samar delaying government's road project.

All in all, a total of 10 heavy equipments worth of P32 million were torched 

By Edward Era Barbacena

The burning of heavy equipment used to build a road by the New People’s Army (NPA) is a clear indication that communist terrorist groups (CTGs) are against development in Northern Samar.

Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said on Friday that the incident derails the completion of the vital road project that forms part of a road link that will connect Northern and Eastern Samar provinces.

“The recent burning in Las Navas, Northern Samar of construction equipment used for road projects clearly shows that the NPA is anti-development and anti-people,” Diñoso told the Philippine News Agency.

On Thursday, 20 NPA members burned 10 heavy equipment in San Francisco village, owned by CDU Construction based in Catarman town.

The PHP32-million worth of equipment torched by rebels include two backhoes, a bulldozer, loader, dump truck, self-loading truck prime mover, crane, grader, welding generator set, and road roller.

“There could only be one reason for this arson. Their demand for money or more money has not been met as contractors have had enough of these terrorists' extortion. Nonetheless, the contractors will not be cowed and have pledged to not give in to terrorists' demands,” Diñoso said.

The road under construction is part of the new highway that connects the towns of Jipapad in Eastern Samar and Las Navas in Northern Samar.

Work includes the opening of 1.8 kilometers roadway, concrete paving of 2.4 kilometers carriageway, drainage canal, construction of a bridge and its approaches, and installation of road safety devices.

Las Navas, a fourth-class town in Northern Samar with a population of 36,621, has been the center of propaganda by several organizations linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA.

 

Asian-American gymnast Sunisa Lee 

Asian-American Sunisa Lee Wins the Olympic Women’s Gymnastics All-Around Gold

Her coronation came at the conclusion of three surreal days that saw the greatest ever gymnast withdraw and completely upend expectations of how the event would unfold

By Edward Era Barbacena

TOKYO - Sunisa Lee stepped into the tiny/huge footsteps of the great Simone Biles to capture the all-around title at the Tokyo Games on her Olympic debut. The 18-year-old becomes the first Hmong American to win an Olympic medal with a performance that was cheered to the rafters by friends and family back home in St. Paul, Minnesota.

U.S. gymnast Sunisa Lee won a gold medal for women’s individual all-around gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.

The Brazilian Rebecca Andrade took the lead after the opening vault but a confident performance in her favorite event, the uneven bars, put Lee ahead and despite showing a few nerves on the beam she closed it out with a technically demanding floor routine starting with a double-twisting double back. Andrade, who twice landed out of bounds on the floor, took the silver with Russian Angelina Melnikova claiming bronze. It is the fifth straight American victory in the women’s all-around. Biles, who won the title in Rio, pulled out on Wednesday because of mental-health issues.

Lee, an 18-year-old Hmong-American  became the highest-qualifying U.S. gymnast for the all-around final after Simone Biles, considered by many to be the world’s greatest gymnast, dropped out of the competition this week. Biles cited mental health concerns in explaining her decision.

Lee is the fifth straight American to claim victory in the all-around Olympic final. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won silver and Angelina Melnikova of Russia took home the bronze.

With a total of 57.433 points, Lee edged out Andrade, who became the first Latin American athlete to earn a gymnastics all-around medal. Lee’s spectacular uneven bars set ― the hardest one executed in the competition so far ― secured her lead in the final, according to The Associated Press.

 

 

College dropout calls multi-medalist Simone Biles "sociopath" because of her withdrawal from the team finals in Tokyo Olympics

By Edward Barbacena

College dropout and activist conservative Charlie Kirk has launched a stinging attack on American gymnast Simone Biles after she withdrew from the women's team final at the Tokyo Olympics.

The conservative activist branded the four-time Olympic gold medalist a "sociopath" and a "shame to the country" after she withdrew from the event, citing mental health issues.

"This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself. I came in and I felt like I was still doing it for other people," a tearful Biles told reporters.

"That just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people."

Biles has received widespread support, but Kirk, a Newsweek columnist, was unmoved by her comments.

"We are raising a generation of weak people like Simone Biles," he told listeners to his podcast The Charlie Kirk Show. "If she's got all these mental health problems: don't show up."

He continued: "She's an incredible athlete, of course she's an incredible athlete, I'm not saying that—she's probably the greatest gymnast of all time. She's also very selfish, she's immature and she's a shame to the country."

Kirk also branded Biles a sociopath over her decision.

"She's totally a sociopath," he said. "What kind of person skips the gold medal match? Who does that? It's a shame to the nation. You just gave a gift to the Russians."

Speaking about sociopath it is a term used to describe someone who has antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). People with ASPD can’t understand others’ feelings. They’ll often break rules or make impulsive decisions without feeling guilty for the harm they cause.  

As we have seen the behavior of biles showing support and boosting the morale of her team mates doesn't make her an anti-social which a common trait of a sociopath.  Having an emotional breakdown doesn't make her an anti-social. We have all seen that Biles showed a profound empathy towards her team mates during the final of the team competition. 

For someone to be diagnosed as a sociopath, the subject must undergo a serious of psychological or psychiatric evaluation and a certified psychiatrist or psychologist is the only one who is trained and has the skills to tell if someone is a sociopath and not a college dropout like Kirk. He is just an activist whose beliefs are based on conspiracy theory. " HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A DEGREE!"

He continued: "If you're not ready for the big time, we've got thousands of young gymnasts that would love to take your place. Thousands. Simone Biles just showed the rest of the nation that when things get tough, you shatter into a million pieces."

Even before there were athletes in the global sports events who withdrew from the game due to a certain pressures and mental health issues and Biles was not the first one.  

Gymnast Elena Mukhina was under pressure before the 1980 Olympics and broke her neck trying to live up to that pressure. She was left a quadriplegic. 

American Julissa Gomez also became quadriplegic in 1988, pushed by coaches to add a difficult vault she wasn’t comfortable with for the Olympics. She died of complications. Gymnasts must be able to listen to their own minds and bodies.

And Kerri Strug's career ended at 19 years old following her ill fated 2nd vault try while she was injured.  Biles was protecting herself from potentially disastrous injury, and she was ensuring she didn’t hold her team back.

It is really absurd that Kirk being a radio commentator and a mere activist, slammed Biles for exiting the game and branded her as "shameful to the nation."   If he only made a thorough research about the reason why well trained athletes quits the game because of the pressures placed on their shoulders as the world watches, he'd be tactful with his opinions towards Biles. In addition, he never became an athlete competing in a major sports events, he'll never get it. "HE IS JUST A COLLEGE DROPOUT!" 

Before the Tokyo Games, Biles had won a total of 30 Olympic and world championship medals, including 23 golds—making her the most decorated American gymnast of all time.

"We're human beings, nobody is perfect. It's OK to not be OK. It's OK to go through ups and downs and emotional rollercoasters."

Since Kirk's comments, Biles has also withdrawn from the individual all-round final.

 

South Australian man indicted with murder after allegedly killing his Filipino wife

A former army officer has been charged with murder after allegedly attacking his wife in what police claim was an alleged domestic violence incident.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Husband who allegedly assaulted wife charged with murder over fatal head injuries. Anthony Ogar was arrested for alleged domestic violence has now been charged with murder after his wife succumbed to her head injuries in hospital. 

Cherry Gerente Ogar, 37, from Port Hughes. She succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday.

Cherry Gerente Ogar, 37, from Port Hughes on SA's Yorke Peninsula, was rushed to the Wallaroo Hospital on Monday and then transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with life-threatening head injuries.

SA Police issued a short statement yesterday afternoon, confirming she had died in hospital earlier on Wednesday.

Ms Gerente Ogar's husband, 58-year-old Antony Ogar, was arrested over the incident and charged with assault causing serious harm.

Antony Ogar, 58, is accused of murdering Cherry Ogar in Port Hughes, near Adelaide

Antony Ogar, 58, was originally charged with aggravated assault causing serious harm, but that charge has now been upgraded to murder, SA Police, said.

Mr Ogar told police his 37-year-old wife was drunk and fell backwards, the court heard during his earlier hearing, but prosecutors said his version of events was "chilling and inconsistent".

Police yesterday said that charge would likely be upgraded to murder and today confirmed that was now the case.

"He has been remanded to reappear in the Kadina Magistrates Court in 2022," police said

Mr Ogar had already appeared in court on Tuesday, where he denied the assault charge and made an application for bail, which was refused.

The court heard Ms Gerente Ogar's injuries were sustained between July 24 and 27 at the couple's house.

The Port Hughes home of Cherry Gerente Ogar and Antony Ogar.(ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)

Flowers were laid for Ms Gerente Ogar outside her Port Hughes home, and tributes have continued to flow, including from her daughter.

"Fly high Ma. Guide me from above until we meet again," her daughter wrote on Facebook.

"I will look for you. And keep my heart and mind in peace."

Detectives from the Port Pirie Criminal Investigation Branch are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ms Gerente Ogar's death.

The court heard there were allegedly many domestic assaults for a number of years at the home the couple shared with some occurring on a daily basis. 

The daughter of the victim says she will fight for her mother's justice, describing her mother as an “angel”.

 

Than Htwe died Wednesday morning, 11 days after being left in a coma when a mugger pulled her down subway station steps in New York City's Chinatown

58 year old NY woman who was a victim of Asian hate crime passes away after brain surgery

Suspect still at large and NYPD are looking for him

By Edward Era Barbacena

A 58-year-old Asian-American  woman and her son were dragged down the stairs of a New York City subway station a couple weekends ago on a Saturday morning.

Htwe (left) 58, and her son, Kyaw Zaw Hein, 22 were rushed to Bellevue Hospital on the  morning of July 17, when Htwe underwent brain surgery. She died this morning from her injuries

The 58-year-old Asian woman who fell into a coma after being attacked on the New York City subway on July 17 has died from her injuries 11 days later.  

The thief attempted to steal Htwe's son's backpack, sending him and his mother tumbling backward and causing Htwe to hit her head

Both were knocked unconscious in the fall. When Zaw Hein awoke, he said his mother was 'lying on the floor with blood everywhere. The motive of the crime was either robbery or  a hate crime.  NYPD is not certain if the victim was racially targeted.

The mother underwent brain surgery after hitting her head as she fell down the stairs and according to the New York Post, she has passed away. 

The victim of unprovoked hate crime died on Wednesday, one day after her family said on their GoFundMe page that she would not survive after undergoing brain surgery — and that they planned to donate her organs.

The page had raised more than $48,000 for the family before it was shut down this week.

“I just want to tell everyone who’s reading this to always cherish the moments you have with your mother,” her son, Kyaw Saw Hein, wrote on the fundraising site.

According to law enforcement, the mother and her son were walking up the steps at Canal Street station in lower Manhattan two Saturdays ago around 9:40 when a man grabbed the son’s backpack.

The son grabbed onto his mother as he got dragged and they both tumbled down the steps.

Police identified David Robinson, 52, as the suspected mugger who on July 17 attacked 58-Than Htwe in a Chinatown subway stop, placing her in a coma. She died 11 days later

NYPD identified 52-year-old David Robinson as the man who killed Than Htwe during the botched robbery and released a photo (below) of him asking the public’s help in finding him.