UPSETS EVERYWHERE Olympics
So far, the Tokyo Olympics have produced some stunning outcomes. First, the U.S. Men’s basketball team lost their first game to France, 83-76. Led by NBA players Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert, the French went on a 16-2 run to close the game. The U.S. squad did bounce back and run through Iran 120-66.
Simone Biles pulled out of the team gymnastics event due to mental health concerns. The Russian team would win the gold, while the U.S. took silver, and the U.K. took bronze. Then, citing the same concerns, she would also withdraw from the all around final, meaning she would not defend her gold medal in that event. There is hope that she will compete in other gymnastics events next week.
In another upset, tennis favorite Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the tourney in the third round by Czech Olympian Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-4. This means that Osaka will not earn a medal in her native country of Japan.
Finally, U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky was stunned in the 400m freestyle, as she had to settle for silver after a loss to Australian Ariarne Titmus who took the gold. Despite that setback, Ledecky did take the gold in the 1500m freestyle.
On the other side, there were cases where history was made. Lee Kiefer became the first American to win a Gold Medal in the individual fencing competition. Also, for the first time ever, someone from the Philippines took gold, with Hidilyn Diaz winning the weightlifting competition.
As for the rest of the Olympics, some events had to be shuffled around due to a Tropical Storm in the area.
NEW YORK CITY MANDATES VACCINATION United States
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner (DOHMH) Dr. Dave A. Chokshi and NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz have announced a new health care mandate requiring all city workers to provide one-time proof of vaccination or weekly COVID-19 tests beginning September 13th.
In advance of this benchmark, the City is mandating 45,000 City workers and contractors in residential and congregate care settings by August 16th. Both of these recent mandates are in addition to the Health Worker COVID-Safe Requirement the Mayor announced last week, requiring NYC Health + Hospitals employees and those working in Department of Health and Mental Hygiene clinical settings to provide either a one-time verification of immunization, or weekly proof of a negative COVID-19 test by August 2nd.
“This is what it takes to continue our recovery for all of us while fighting back the delta variant,” said Mayor de Blasio. “It’s going to take all of us to finally end the fight against COVID-19.”
“These new requirements reflect our commitment to each other and the people we serve,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “In the tug of war between vaccines and the variants, we should continue to bet on the vaccines. But now is the time for our whole City to pull together to defeat Delta.”
“We’ve come a long way from once being the ‘epicenter of the epicenter’ of COVID-19, but this pandemic is not over yet,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “We have a moral responsibility to take every precaution possible to ensure we keep ourselves, our colleagues and loved ones safe. Our City’s new testing requirement for city workers provides more piece of mind until more people get their safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.”
The Mayor also made an official call for the private sector to enact vaccine and test mandates at their offices, workplaces, stores, and restaurants. Approximately 4.9 million New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This includes over 100,000 doses from mobile vaccination sites, 280,000 doors knocked by canvassers, and 20,000 doses given in-home to anyone who needs it. There have also been more than $80,000 in Referral Bonuses given to community organizations.
Additionally, New York state, California, and the Federal Government have also enacted similar mandates for public workers.
TRAFFICKING NETWORK DISMANTLED Europe
Spanish and Serbian authorities have dismantled a large-scale drug trafficking network, through a joint investigation team (JIT) with the active support of Eurojust. Across both countries, a total of 43 members of a Serbian organized crime group (OCG) have been arrested for their involvement in the production and distribution of marijuana and hashish, mainly destined for sale in Germany. The criminal network operated plantations in the Spanish provinces of Zaragoza and Tarragona, where fellow nationals were exploited for the cultivation of the drugs.
The main suspects will be charged with drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and money laundering. Most of the proceedings were laundered in Serbia, Spain and other European countries, using a string of shell companies. The OCG was very well organized and employed electricians to condition and run the plantations. Furthermore, it involved managers and intermediaries between the different echelons of the organization and lawyers to open account numbers, using false documents.
The network had set up a professional distribution chain for the transport of the drugs, with lorries registered in the name of companies of other EU Member States, specially set up for the purpose. In total, 14 indoor plantations have been dismantled, one of which was hidden under a Russian orthodox church.
During a major action day in June and interventions against the OCG in January of this year, coordinated and supported by Eurojust and Europol, the authorities carried out 19 searches and seized over 17,000 marijuana plants, over 880 kilos of marijuana buds and at least 130 kilos of produced marijuana and hashish resins.
Approximately EUR 250,000 in cash was also seized, as well as computer and telecommunications equipment, a luxury vehicle and a handgun. As of January, 400 kilos of marijuana and almost 4 kilos of hashish had already been intercepted.
Eurojust initiated the cross-border judicial cooperation in November 2020, leading to the setting up of the first JIT between Spain and Serbia. It was the first time the Spanish authorities had initiated a JIT with a third country. Further, the Agency enabled the coordination between the Spanish and Serbian authorities and assisted in organizing the action day against the OCG.
The operation was led by chamber no. 2 of the Investigative Court and Public Prosecutor’s Office of Huesca in Spain and the Office of the Prosecutor for Organized Crime of Serbia in Belgrade, with the support of various specialized teams of the Spanish Guardia Civil. In Serbia, the specialized Service for Fighting Organized Crime (SBPOK) of the national police carried out the operations on the ground.
PRE-EID ATTACK CONDEMNED Middle East
UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the “horrific bomb attack targeting civilians” at a busy market in the northeast of the Iraqi capital, just before the Eid al-Adha holiday.
In a statement, Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said that the UN chief called the deadly attack in Baghdad’s Al-Sadr City “a reminder to us all that the scourge of terrorism knows no bounds.”
At least 30 people were killed and dozens of others wounded when a bomb exploded in the Iraqi capital, according to security sources.
The device exploded in the Al-Wuhailat market as families prepared for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha on July 20.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also lamented the deaths, which included children, and the injuries sustained by those in the blast.
“This horrific attack right before Eid Al-Adha is a terrible reminder of the violence Iraqi children continue to face,” said the UNICEF Representative in the country, Sheema Sen Gupta.
“Those children were just preparing for the special days to come with their families”, she added.
The UN official reminded that children should be protected at all times and grow in a safe environment free from any form of violence.
“On the eve of Eid Al-Adha and as Iraqis mourn this sad moment, UNICEF calls for all actors in Iraq to work together towards a safer Iraq where children do not have to live in fear and where they enjoy their very basic activities and rights,” she concluded.
Mr. Guterres extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the Government and people of Iraq and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
“The Secretary-General underlines the need for the perpetrators of this crime to be swiftly brought to justice,” the statement read.
