Month: March 2021

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Business

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is Discovered to Be 79% Efficient in U.S. Research

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is Found to Be 79% Effective in U.S. Study

However, the rate at which several nations discontinued use of the vaccine reflected a reluctance about its safety and effectiveness that contrasts sharply with the confidence shown in other vaccines. Confidence in the vaccine has fallen in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and, to a lesser extent, the UK, according to surveys.

Participants who received the vaccine in the study did not have an increased risk of blood clots or related diseases. And a specific search did not find any cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis – blood clots in the brain that can cause dangerous bleeding – which raise some of the most serious concerns in Europe.

Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow on Global Health at the University of Southampton in the UK, said the results could allay concerns not only in Europe but around the world. He said he had received messages in the past few days from colleagues in Ghana resenting how he could explain safety concerns to people who had just celebrated the arrival of the vaccine weeks earlier.

“Given the light raids the AstraZeneca vaccine has suffered in the past few weeks – and particularly in the last week or two in Europe – there is new data to show that it is safe and effective, if you excuse the phrase , a good shot of the arm, ”he said. “The publication of these results is actually quite well timed as the vaccine may be hesitant.”

The US study also found no cases of serious neurological problems. This was a cause for concern last summer after two volunteers at AstraZeneca’s trial in the UK became ill with neurological problems. Although these cases forced a seven-week suspension of the clinical trial in the US, the researchers ultimately concluded that the diseases could not be linked to the vaccine. Still, the delay has been a key factor in why AstraZeneca has so far lagged behind three other vaccine manufacturers that have received emergency clearance in the United States.

According to AstraZeneca, the vaccine worked well across all races and ages. The vaccine was 80 percent effective in approximately 6,000 subjects over 65 years of age – results that likely allay concerns about insufficient clinical trial data on how well the vaccine works in the elderly. Some countries temporarily limited vaccinations with the shot to younger people before reversing course to allow use in all age groups after data from the vaccine’s launch in the UK showed the vaccine offered strong protection in the elderly.

Even if the vaccine is not used in the US, obtaining emergency clearance from the FDA – whose rigorous review process is considered the global gold standard – would be a major milestone for AstraZeneca. Some countries that have not yet approved the vaccine may try to follow the FDA’s lead.

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Entertainment

The Pose Solid Shares Remaining Season Instagram Tributes

The Pose Cast Shares Final Season Instagram Tributes

And that’s a wrap! On Saturday, pose We have finished filming for the upcoming final season and we are feeling emotional. The cast and crew – including Janet Mock, Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Angel Bismark Curiel, Michael Nallan, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Jason A. Rodriguez, and Steven Canals – marked the end of the show by going on Instagram for emotional tributes to exchange.

“There are no words to describe the abundance this show has brought into my life,” wrote Mock. “I will be forever changed by the people who put everything into our visions, by the world we built together, by the characters we loved, and by the family we gathered and cared for. There will be more shows and stories. Everyone keeps telling, but none will hold their place in my heart POSE Has. Living. Plant. Pose. Forever. “Rodriguez expressed similar feelings, adding,” We changed the world and showed them how to love a little harder again! “

“We changed the world and showed them how to love a little harder again!”

Earlier this month it was announced that poseThe coming third season would be the last. “”pose has been one of the creative highlights of my entire career, “said co-creator Ryan Murphy in a statement.” From the start, when Steven Canals and I sat down to hear his vision and ideas for the show, it was a passion project. From the beginning of my career in the late 90s when it was almost impossible to get an LGBTQ character on TV pose – which will go down in history for the greatest LGBTQ cast of all time – is a true full circle moment for me. This show made history behind and in front of the camera, and its legacy is deeply ingrained. “

The final season of the show will consist of seven episodes and will premiere on FX on May 2nd. Take some handkerchiefs and read the touching tributes from the cast and crew.

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Business

79% efficient in U.S. trial

EU says AstraZeneca not doing enough to meet vaccine delivery target

A healthcare professional will prepare a dose of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the vaccine center at the Brighton Center in Brighton, southern England on January 26, 2021.

Ben Stensall | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – The results of a large US study showed that the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is 79% effective in preventing symptomatic illness and 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalization.

The vaccine’s safety and efficacy analysis published on Monday was based on 32,449 participants from a Phase 3 study.

By comparison, Moderna’s vaccine was found to be greater than 94% effective in preventing Covid, and Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was found to be 95% effective.

AstraZeneca announced that it will continue to analyze the data and prepare for the primary analysis to be submitted to the US Food and Drugs Administration for emergency approval in the coming weeks.

It comes shortly after a flood of countries temporarily suspended the use of the shot after blood clots were reported in some people who had been vaccinated. Health experts sharply criticized the move, citing a lack of data, while analysts expressed concerns about the impact on vaccine uptake as the virus continues to spread.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain, among others, have resumed use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency found the shot was both safe and effective in its initial investigation into possible side effects.

The World Health Organization and the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis have recommended that countries continue to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

AstraZeneca said in a press release Monday that an independent board had not identified any safety concerns related to the shot. With the help of an independent neurologist, they also performed a specific check for blood clots as well as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), an extremely rare blood clot in the brain.

The Data Safety Monitoring Board “found no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterized by thrombosis in the 21,583 participants who received at least one vaccine dose. The specific search for CVST found no events in this study.”

AstraZeneca’s shares traded nearly 1% early this morning.

“Urgently needed” additional vaccination option

Ann Falsey, Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of Rochester, USA, and Co-Lead Principal Investigator for the study, said, “This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccine option and offers adults confidence all ages can benefit from protection against the virus. “

The drug company said the shot was well tolerated and its effectiveness was consistent in terms of ethnicity and age.

In particular, the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot was 80% effective in preventing Covid in participants 65 and over.

A healthcare worker receives the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan on Monday March 22, 2021. Taiwan started vaccinating against coronavirus today.

I-Hwa Cheng | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“These results add to the growing evidence showing that this vaccine is well tolerated and highly effective against all degrees of COVID-19 and across all ages,” said Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca. in a statement.

“We are confident that this vaccine can play an important role in protecting millions of people worldwide from this deadly virus,” said Pangalos.

Among the participants in the interim analysis, around 20% were 65 years of age and older, while around 60% had comorbidities that were associated with an increased risk of progression to severe Covid such as diabetes or heart disease.

Categories
Politics

Does Requiring Solely Males to Register for the Draft Violate the Structure?

Does Requiring Only Men to Register for the Draft Violate the Constitution?

“Since women are legally or politically excluded from combat service,” wrote Judge William H. Rehnquist for the majority, “men and women are simply not positioned equally for the purposes of a draft or registration for a draft.”

In 2019, Houston District Court Judge Gray H. Miller ruled that male-only registration was no longer warranted as women can now serve in combat. A unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans agreed that “the real basis of the ruling Supreme Court’s decision has changed.” But it was said that only the Supreme Court could override its own precedent.

The Trump administration defended different registration requirements in the appeals court. The Biden government has twice requested additional time to respond to the petition requesting Supreme Court review of National Coalition for Men v Selective Service System, No. 20-928. The order is now due on April 14th.

Last year, a congressional commission concluded that extending registration to women is “a necessary – and overdue – move” that “signals that both men and women are valued for their contributions to the defense of the nation.” This was in line with the recommendations of the military leaders. But Congress, which has long been grappling with this issue, has yet to act.

Males who fail to register can face harsh penalties, including criminal prosecution, denial of student loans, and disqualification from citizenship. Eight states do not allow men to enroll in public universities unless they have registered.

The government has not drafted anyone since the Vietnam War, and there is no reason to believe that this will change. The challengers say this is a reason for the court to act now, before a crisis occurs.

“Should the court declare unconstitutional registration for men only,” said her letter, “Congress has considerable leeway to decide how to react.” Everyone between the ages of 18 and 26, regardless of gender, may be required to register. it could completely remove the registration requirement; or it could take a new approach overall, for example replacing the registration requirement with a more comprehensive national service requirement.

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World News

The Democrats’ Immigration Drawback – The New York Instances

The Democrats’ Immigration Problem - The New York Times

For most of the decades the Democratic Party had a fairly clear stance on immigration. It advocated a mix of enforcement (like border security and deportation of undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes) and new laws for immigrants (like an increase in legal immigration and a path to citizenship for undocumented people).

In recent years, however, immigration advocates and progressive Democrats have grown dissatisfied with this combination. You have pointed out that Democratic support for tighter border security has not resulted in the bipartisan compromise it should have: Republicans continue to block bills that provide a route to citizenship.

In response, these progressives and activists have pushed the party to change. Bill Clinton ran for re-election on a platform that said, “We cannot tolerate illegal immigration and we must stop it.” Barack Obama once said: “We simply cannot allow people to flood into the United States undetected, without papers and without controls.” Instead, President Biden has emphasized the humane treatment of immigrants regardless of their legal status.

After taking office, Biden began to put this idea into practice. He announced a 100-day suspension of deportations (which a judge has blocked). He allowed more migrants – especially children – to enter the country instead of being detained. And Central American migrants, feeling the US has become more welcoming, are pouring north in the greatest numbers in two decades.

The upswing seems to have surprised the von Biden government, as Doris Meissner from the Institute for Migration Policy, which headed the immigration and naturalization service in the 1990s, told me. The Republicans have overthrown and accused the Democrats of preferring an “open border”.

Some Democrats are also unhappy. Biden’s policy “is an incentive for multitudes of people to come, and the only way to slow it down is to change the policy on our doorstep,” Texas representative Vicente Gonzalez told the Washington Post. Henry Cuellar, another Texas House Democrat, said the government was sending “terrible news.”

All of this is based on the fact that the Democratic Party no longer has a clear immigration policy.

While Donald Trump was president, he smoothed out internal tensions among the Democrats because they could unite against him. Trump used racist language; Democrats hated it. Trump separated families and caged children; Democrats promised to end this policy. Trump said he would build a border wall that Mexico is paying for; Democrats mocked his failure.

However, with Trump out of office, the party faces some tough, unresolved questions, including:

Do Democrats Still Advocate Deporting Anyone? Some activists criticized Obama as a “top deporter”. However, he focused the deportations on only two groups: newcomers and immigrants who had committed serious crimes.

If Democrats prefer more lenient policies than Obama’s, it’s not clear whether they support the deportation of anyone – or whether they believe instead that the humane solution is to allow anyone who can legally or illegally enter the US , to stay. The party’s 2020 platform does not mention any conditions under which a deportation is acceptable. Biden’s attempt to stop the deportations for 100 days underscores the party’s new stance.

Which migrants should be turned away at the border? And what should happen to them next?

There are no easy answers. One option is to prevent people from entering the country (as is currently the case with many adults traveling alone) – but this can lead to miserable conditions on the Mexican side of the border. A second option is to arrest people in the US while their legal cases are being investigated. Child detention is difficult, however, and many Democrats consider immigrant detention to be similar to Trumpism.

A third option is to take in migrants and order them to appear at a future court hearing (as is the case with many children and families). The adults often have to wear anklets. Still, the process can take years and raise other sensitive questions. Many migrants are not good asylum seekers; They come to find work or to be around relatives, which does not necessarily qualify them for legal entry.

Often it is left to the administration to decide who is ready for deportation.

There are possible political solutions to all of these questions. The US could increase legal immigration. It could build more detention facilities in humane conditions. It could do more to improve conditions in Latin America and get Mexico to control its own southern border. The Biden government follows many of these guidelines.

But if Biden and his aides seem less stable on immigration than many other policies, there is a reason: They are less stable.

Congress is unlikely to increase legal immigration many times over. Surveys show that while public opinion favors a route to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants, it also supports strict border security and the enforcement of existing immigration laws.

I’m not even sure if these views should be called conservative. In the past, many progressives supported immigration restrictions to keep wages high in the US. Today, working-class Americans – including many Asian-American, Black, and Latin American voters – tend to prefer more restrictions than progressive Democrats, who are often high-income professionals. This contrast could play a role in the recent Republican gains with minority voters.

“Unfortunately, the way the debate goes too often feels like, ‘Everyone should come and the border should be open,” said Cecilia Muñoz, a longtime immigrant attorney and former Obama adviser. “And that is what makes Americans fearful. “

One of the advantages of the old Democratic approach to immigration was that it was easy to describe: be firm on the border, be generous to people who have lived in the US for years. The new approach also has a lasting idea: be kinder to people who want to enter the country. But the Democrats still haven’t figured out the limits of this idea, which created an early problem for the Biden presidency.

How many immigrants should the US legally accept?

  • More: “There’s nothing wrong with open borders,” wrote Farhad Manjoo of the Times. Shikha Dalmia has argued that more immigration will fuel economic growth, and Matthew Yglesias wrote “One Billion Americans” in a book claiming that more immigration will help the US compete with China.

  • Fewer: “The ongoing argument for reducing immigration,” according to Philip Cafaro, revolves around higher wages. And David Frum of the Atlantic has suggested that less immigration will reduce the political appeal of nativism.

In flower: Spring has arrived in New York. Here come the cornflowers, butterfly milkweed, and black-eyed susans.

Lived life: Dr. Nawal el Saadawi was an Egyptian writer, doctor and advocate for women’s rights in the Arab world who told her own story about female genital mutilation in her memoirs. She died at the age of 89.

Model trains are the newest industry getting a pandemic boost from people looking for new hobbies. Märklin, a 162-year-old German company, is hiring new trainees as sales increase to learn the precise art of making miniature trains. (Take a virtual tour of the factory here.)

“It’s total chaos outside,” said one enthusiast. “But inside, around my little train set, it’s quiet, it’s picturesque.”

Spelling Bee’s pangram on Friday was unpopular. Here is today’s puzzle – or you can play online.

Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle and a clue: palpitations (five letters).

Categories
Health

Third Covid wave hits Europe, France, Germany eye extra lockdowns

Third Covid wave hits Europe, France, Germany eye more lockdowns

Members of the medical staff are reviewing a patient’s information in the pulmonology department of the AP-HP Cochin hospital in Paris on March 18, 2021 as the number of people hospitalized with the Covid-19 increases in the French capital.

CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT | AFP | Getty Images

More than a year after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, Europe continues to grapple with the virus amid a third wave of infections and an increase in lockdown measures.

At the same time, the introduction of vaccinations in the block remains sluggish, which is affected by manufacturing and delivery problems, so that the heads of state and government of the European Union meet this week to again discuss the introduction of possible export bans for vaccines.

A handful of countries are reintroducing lockdowns to contain a third wave of infections. France, Poland and Ukraine are implementing stricter measures over the weekend that should last at least several weeks.

A month-long partial lockdown was reintroduced on Saturday in Paris as well as 15 other regions of France to deal with rising case numbers, largely due to new, more contagious variants of Covid.

However, the last partial lockdown is less strict than the previous ones, leading some to question the point of such a move, while others have said the new measures are confusing. There is still a curfew and interregional travel is still effectively prohibited. Around 21 million people in France are affected by the new regulations.

The country reported over 30,000 new cases a day on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to over 4.2 million. So far, over 92,000 people have died as a result of the virus in France.

In the meantime, Europe’s largest economy, Germany, could extend a national lockdown until April as the country also battles a third wave of Covid-19 cases. Several states have reportedly called for the current restrictions to be extended as the Covid incidence rate has exceeded 100 cases per 100,000 people. A level previously announced by the government would prompt them to implement an “emergency brake” – a stalling of the lifting of lockdown measures – to prevent further spread.

The move would be a blow to Germany, which had started to simplify lockdown measures, allowing schools to reopen in February and some non-essential businesses to resume customers earlier this month.

Vaccination fights

As more and more cases of coronaviruses occur in large parts of the EU, the introduction of the vaccine remains sluggish and controversial.

EU leaders will meet virtually on Thursday to discuss whether to block vaccine exports while supplies in the region remain tight and the vaccination program lags behind that in other developed nations.

Criticized for ordering coronavirus vaccines in large quantities later than the UK and US, the EU has subsequently faced supply issues despite two of the vaccines it has approved – the recordings from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-University of Oxford – were used. made in the EU.

There are reports that the EU could block exports of AstraZeneca vaccine at a Dutch plant – a move that could also jeopardize the previously successful launch of vaccines in the UK. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to reach out to his European counterparts to try to break the impasse on vaccines.

The launch of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine has been fraught with several hurdles in the past few weeks. A handful of European countries have discontinued the use of the shot due to concerns about its possible association with reports of blood clots.

The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency carried out safety reviews of the vaccine last Thursday, the latter determining it is safe, effective, and the benefits outweigh the risks.

The conclusion resulted in a reversal of the vaccine suspension in most (but not all) European countries that had discontinued its use, but the move could damage public confidence in the vaccine, which was already shaky due to misguided questions about the vaccine’s effectiveness shot in the over 65s.

Real-world data has since proven the vaccine to be highly effective in reducing severe Covid cases, hospital stays and adult deaths. The vaccine received another boost on Monday when the results of a large U.S. study were published that found the AstraZeneca vaccine was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic illness and 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalization.

However, a YouGov poll published on Monday found that the decision of some European nations to suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine “severely damaged the public perception of the safety of the vaccine in Europe”.

The survey, which was conducted between March 15 and 18 in seven European countries (UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden) found that the vaccine was more likely than not in France, Germany, Spain and the US Italy is classified as unsafe as safe. It should be noted that the survey was conducted the week that the vaccine’s safety data was questioned, and especially before the EMA published its safety decision on the shot.

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Business

Golf Balls and Pickleballs Are Having a Love Affair

Golf Balls and Pickleballs Are Having a Love Affair

Last summer, the group converted their tennis stadium into a human foosball court on one of their properties in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

“We spanned pool noodles across the tennis court and you got glued in your noodles,” said Mr. Southworth. “Then we played a 10-on-10 soccer game, but you could only mix left and right. It was a great success. “

But not all of Southworth’s efforts to get younger have been successful. A drone race was a memorable failure. “It disheveled a lot of feathers,” said Mr. Southworth.

Regardless of the activity, a casual dress code is a key component in attracting younger guests. Mr. Meldman, who has created two dozen Discovery Land properties in North America and the Caribbean and is set to open his first European property in Portugal, said players can wear the kind of clothing they would get out of most country clubs.

“People on the way to the beach club stop in their bathing suits and hit balls and play golf that way,” he said of the club in Baker’s Bay, Bahamas. “Many clubs have rules and traditions. I love her. But it’s also nice to know that you’re expanding the game and getting people to stop at the driving range in their bathing suits and pick up a club. If we were a more traditional club, that would never happen. “

Elsewhere, the resort itself is becoming more cosmopolitan.

Reynolds Lake Oconee, 90 miles from Atlanta, has six golf courses, and 20 years ago it was all about golf. In the past three years, the number of international residents has exceeded 300 from just 20, and they are looking for more activities.

The developers have decided to build an 80-acre village in the city center with restaurants and fitness centers by the water. It is intended to entice the 2,400 year-round residents of the extensive community to stroll along the lake.

Categories
Health

Vaccinated Individuals Have Been Getting Their Second Doses on Time

Vaccinated Americans Have Been Getting Their Second Doses on Time

Almost nine in ten Americans who received the first dose of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine completed the regimen, and most people who received two doses received it within the recommended time frame, federal health officials reported Monday.

Analyzes by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included data on tens of millions of Americans who received the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines between mid-December and mid-February.

However, the percentage of people who completed the arrangements varied widely across jurisdictions and across populations. Federal health officials urged local vaccines to take action to make sure everyone comes back. This includes planning a return date for the first shot, sending reminders and postponing missed or canceled appointments.

While the data were overall “reassuring”, CDC researchers had said that the first groups to receive the vaccine in the United States – health professionals and long-term care residents – had easy access to the second dose, as they likely did had been vaccinated at work or at home.

As vaccines become available to a wider group of people, the scientists warned that the percentage of full vaccination could decrease.

People are not considered fully vaccinated against the coronavirus until two weeks after receiving the second intake of the two-dose regimen (or two weeks after receiving the single-dose vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson).

CDC researchers studied around 40.5 million Americans who were vaccinated between December 14, 2020 and February 14, 2021.

In one analysis, they checked the records of 12.4 million people who received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine and had enough time to receive the second dose. 88 percent had completed the series, while 8.6 percent were within the allowable 42 day interval to receive the second dose. But 3.4 percent missed this window. (The recommended interval between doses is 21 days for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and 28 days for Moderna).

Americans most likely missed the second dose, which varies by location. Among those vaccine recipients who were known to have racial and ethnicity information, the lowest graduation rates were from Native American or Alaskan people.

A second analysis of 14.2 million people who completed the full regimen found that 95.6 percent received the second dose within the recommended time frame, although again the numbers varied by community.

The study’s authors urged providers and public health workers to encourage Americans to return for a second dose and to highlight the importance of a full vaccination. CDC officials also urged vaccines to understand what is holding people back from completing the series, and whether access or lack of trust in the vaccines is a factor.

Categories
Business

Jeep unveils all-electric Wrangler idea SUV

Jeep unveils all-electric Wrangler concept SUV

The Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept is an all-electric SUV based on a 2020 two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

jeep

EMBARGOED FOR 12:01 AM MONDAY, MARCH 22nd.

Jeep has unveiled a new all-electric version of its iconic Wrangler SUV, but consumers will likely have to wait at least a few years to buy one.

The brand presented the Wrangler “Magneto” as a concept vehicle on Monday. This means that it is a custom product that is usually developed by automakers to measure customer interest or to point out the future direction of a vehicle or brand.

“It’s a sustainable, stealthy climbing group,” said Jim Morrison, vice president of the Jeep brand in North America, during a media event. “It’s a zero-emission concept vehicle with Jeep 4×4 capability that is being taken to the next level.”

Jeep executives have said that every Jeep will offer some form of electrification in the future, but an all-electric version of the Wrangler has not been confirmed. The company recently began selling a plug-in hybrid electric version of the Wrangler under the new name “4xe,” a game for the brand’s off-road reputation combined with electrification. Plug-in hybrid electric models have batteries like electric vehicles, but also a conventional internal combustion engine.

The Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept is an all-electric SUV based on a 2020 two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

jeep

The Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept is based on a 2020 two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. To make it an electric vehicle, the engineers swapped out its internal combustion engine and some supporting parts for electrical components like four batteries and an electric motor.

The vehicle is capable of up to 273 foot-pounds of torque and 285 horsepower. The Magneto runs 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds. The company has not approved the vehicle’s electric range.

The most unique thing about the Magneto is that it has a six-speed manual transmission that electric vehicles don’t need because of their engines. Mark Allen, head of Jeep design, said the vehicle had “the best features” of an automatic transmission but the “direct drive feel” of a manual transmission, which is vital for off-road enthusiasts.

The Magneto was featured along with several other custom or concept vehicles for the Jeep Easter Safari, an annual off-road event for the brand in Moab, Utah. Jeep regularly uses the off-road event as a test site for the performance of its vehicles and as a means of measuring customer interest in new products.

“The Moab Easter Jeep Safari has been a tradition for more than half a century,” said Morrison. “It’s a place where we can connect with our die-hard off-road enthusiasts and those who are most loyal to our brand.”

Concept vehicles for this year’s Jeep Easter Safari include (from left to right) Jeep Red Bare, Jeep Magneto, Jeepster Beach and Jeep Orange Peelz.

jeep

Categories
Politics

Austin travels to Afghanistan as troop withdrawal deadline looms

Austin travels to Afghanistan as troop withdrawal deadline looms

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (R) will meet US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on March 21, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Presidential Palace / handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Afghanistan Sunday to meet with the nation’s leader as Washington contemplates a possible end to America’s longest war.

The trip that makes Austin the first Biden cabinet-level official to visit the war-torn country comes 40 days before the U.S. troop withdrawal date.

In February 2020, the United States signed a treaty with the Taliban that would usher in a permanent ceasefire and further reduce the US military’s footprint from around 13,000 soldiers to 8,600 by mid-July last year.

According to the agreement, all foreign armed forces would have left Afghanistan by May 2021. There are currently around 2,500 US troops in the country.

The Biden government has not yet announced its next steps in Afghanistan.

The collective wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have cost US taxpayers more than $ 1.57 trillion since September 11, 2001, according to a Department of Defense report.

Current US military operations, known as Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq, and Operation Noble Eagle for homeland security missions in the US and Canada, accounted for $ 265.7 billion of that total.

Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, which began in October 2001 and officially ended in December 2014, cost taxpayers $ 578.7 billion.

Of the three ongoing operations, Freedom’s Sentinel accounts for the lion’s share of the cost at $ 197.3 billion, followed by Inherent Resolve at $ 40.5 billion and Noble Eagle at $ 27.9 billion.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin goes for a walk during his visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, March 21, 2021.

Presidential Palace / handout via REUTERS

According to the report, the money will be used for training, equipment, maintenance, food, clothing, medical care and payment of troops.

Last month, the most powerful military alliance in the world met to discuss a number of challenges facing the group of 30. The way forward in Afghanistan was at the top of the agenda. NATO joined the international security effort in Afghanistan in 2003 and currently has more than 7,000 soldiers in the country.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would continue to assess the situation on the ground in Afghanistan.

“Our goal is to ensure that we have a lasting political agreement that will allow us to leave in a way that doesn’t undermine our primary objective and that prevents Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven again.” [for terrorists]”Said Stoltenberg.

“The majority of the troops come from European allies and partner countries. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that our troops are safe,” he said when asked if the alliance would be prepared for violence if the deal with the Taliban is reached is broken.

Austin told reporters shortly after the NATO meeting that the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan would depend on reducing violence in the country.

“The violence needs to decrease now,” Austin said in his first press conference with reporters. “I have told our allies that regardless of the outcome of our review, the United States will not make a hasty or disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan,” he said, referring to the NATO virtual meetings.

“There will be no surprises. We will consult, consult together and decide together and act together,” said Austin of the NATO-led mission.