Happy birthday to my papiii ❤️ Wish to you best days and good luck in your life bro ❤️ Best person who i know in csbd

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From the September/October 2024 issue of Car and Driver. Every new car is a pretty good first date. It's the second and third dates when annoyances start to reveal themselves. Add in some competition, and it becomes easier to separate the one you want to settle down with from the rest. HIGHS: "I can't believe it's not a V-12" smoothness, luxury-car isolation, compact-car fuel economy. When the BMW 540i xDrive visited our office, we were charmed by its incredible inline-six, an engine free of harshness or bad vibes. It's strong too, with 375 horsepower giving the 4365-pound 540i the ability to leap to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds. The powerful six has a good mate in its eight-speed automatic partner. Gear-changes are smooth, and downshifts come quickly. There's a slickness to the entire powertrain, as if friction does not apply. It pays dividends in fuel economy, with the 3.0-liter returning 37 mpg in our 75-mph highway test. Sounds like love, right? Well, we were pretty smitten—until a 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 rolled in like an attractive contestant number two. Next to the Benz, the 540i suddenly felt a size too big. There's a sense that there's less glass, and as a result, the cabin seems more confining. Drive the two back to back, and the BMW's reactions and feel-free steering make it seem heavier than the Benz, despite weighing 101 pounds less. LOWS: Feels larger than it is, aloof handling, some steering feel would be nice. Both have a supple ride, though the Benz's optional adaptive dampers can go softer than our BMW's electronically controlled units, making them more suitable to Michigan roads. The 540i takes corners with ease, but there's an aloofness to the handling, largely due to the steering, which is light on both effort and feedback. Still, we're grateful for the turbocharged six. We also like the look and finish of the 540i's interior, although the digital gauges could be easier to read—the cluster offers different display options, all terrible—and the infotainment system's menus are daunting at first. The rear seats are adult-ready, and front-seat comfort is excellent. You'll be fidget-free for the duration of a tank of gas, which at 37 mpg will last 580 miles. Graced with charm and an engine so smooth that you'd think a V-12 might be under the hood, the 540i xDrive is more about luxury than sportiness. The 5-series used to be the mid-size sports sedan to beat, but the more dates we went on, the more it revealed itself to be less of a big 3-series and more of a smaller 7-series. VERDICT: Let's keep it a situationship for now. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a61973442/2024-bmw-540i-xdrive-test/

Virgil van Dijk’s calmness in leading Liverpool on the pitch was a marked contrast with his Manchester United counterpart, Bruno Fernandes, who endured a difficult afternoon on Sunday. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images After three games in charge of Liverpool, Arne Slot has enjoyed as close to a perfect start as possible. The Dutchman’s team head into the international break with nine points and zero goals conceded, further boosted by a jaunt of a victory over their arch-rivals, Manchester United. Slot is yet to use a player who was not available to Jürgen Klopp, opting for small adjustments across the pitch as he gets everyone on his wavelength. A great communicator and calming character, Slot encountered one of few negatives across his 270 minutes in needing to withdraw Jarell Quansah at half-time of the opening victory at Ipswich, concerned by the number of duels the 21-year-old defender lost. It was an indication that alongside the jovial demeanour, Slot is happy to make difficult decisions. It was proven to be the right choice; Ibrahima Konaté replaced Quansah and Slot stuck with the same lineup for wins over Brentford and United, as teams struggled to lay a glove on Liverpool. Slot has become the third manager in the Premier League era to win their first three matches in England’s top tier without conceding. José Mourinho at Chelsea achieved the feat in 2004 and Sven Göran-Eriksson did so three years later at Manchester City. All included a victory against Manchester United. Four of the back five at Liverpool have been settled for a long time, when fitness has allowed. It is an experienced unit of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson. Quansah and Konaté have fought to be the second centre-back alongside the captain and the judgment has been made on who has the shirt at this point. Erik ten Hag dreams of a stable defence. He brought in Matthijs de Ligt for a full debut alongside Lisandro Martínez to create the latest centre-back pairing in a cast of characters that has changed on an almost weekly basis over the past 14 months. Consistency in football is imperative because knowing what you are getting from the player next to you helps someone to do their own job better. One problem that curtailed Liverpool’s title challenge last season was a porous defence which conceded too many shots. Making sure Alisson is not kept busy is part of the new mantra under Slot. Alexander-Arnold can still move into midfield and Robertson is afforded the luxury of pushing forward to help attacks down the left but it is not at the detriment of stability. The manager was still critical of Alexander-Arnold’s passing at Old Trafford because standards have to be maintained even when cruising. A settled defence has helped those in front to adapt with their roles knowing the final line is well-drilled. Without a defensive midfielder eager to break up play, Liverpool are more about keeping the ball, with Ryan Gravenberch the No 6. He may not be the first into a tackle but he showed at Old Trafford how well he reads the game, intercepting Casemiro’s pass and instigating a counterattack that culminated in Luis Díaz heading home to make it 1-0. Ryan Gravenberch read the game superbly and frustrated Manchester United in a dominant midfield performance at Old Trafford. Photograph: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Getty Images Each goal at Old Trafford came from aggression in midfield, with the visitors pressuring United to make mistakes. This will be the routine in all games and sometimes opponents will be able to break the press but Liverpool’s players know they are taking less of a risk because of who they have at the back. Brentford caused problems on the counter at Anfield but there was never panic. Even when chances have been created to test Alisson, the Brazilian has been equal to , happier with not being overworked and able to maintain concentration with greater tranquillity in front of him. There is joy and verve to the attacking play, with Slot offering trust and freedom in equal measure to Díaz, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah. The players want to enjoy and express themselves, something Van Dijk and Konaté do in a different way. The captain orchestrates those in front and manages his teammates on the pitch because he knows where everyone needs to be. The Liverpool defence is the foundation for the team and the season. Tougher tests lie ahead as Liverpool return to the Champions League and twice-weekly matches. The hectic schedule will result in a need to change personnel to keep people fresh for what will be a long slog of a season for those with ambitions of winning trophies. Ipswich were playing their first game in the Premier League for two decades, Brentford were without a recognised striker and United are short of confidence and competence but keeping each side out strengthens the mindset and reinforces within Liverpool that Slot’s way is the right one. Arne Slot’s side comfortably bested his fellow Dutchman Erik ten Hag on Sunday. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Liverpool won their opening three games without conceding in 2018-19, going on to secure 97 points, only to finish runners-up to Manchester City, who have had a decent start themselves. Last season Liverpool completed 10 shutouts in 38 games on their way to third, whereas City, the champions, had 13 and Arsenal 18, an indication improvements need to be made to battle for the title. The early signs are promising. As Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/sep/02/arne-slot-solid-stable-liverpool-defence-foundation-season-ahead

‘It’s massively rewarding to put yourself out there for strangers’ … Craig Miller at his fire station. Photograph: Richard Beaven/The Guardian When Craig Miller moved from California to the Catskill mountains in upstate New York in 2019, the freelance journalist wanted to get away from traffic jams and wildfires and enjoy a quieter pace of life. Yet, one year into his stay, at the age of 65, he became his town’s newest volunteer firefighter. “It was something I realised I had to do as rural fire departments are desperate for people to help out,” he says. “Answering the pager for callouts at all hours of the day isn’t an ideal retirement, but four years in, it has become one of the most rewarding parts of my life.” It was Miller’s eye for a story that first alerted him to the issue facing volunteer fire departments. Driving around town and noticing recruitment signs, he decided to dig further for the PBS website Next Avenue. “Speaking to fire chiefs, I realised they are in crisis since more than 60% of all firefighters in the US are volunteers, and rural areas can’t get young people to join,” he says. “The chief was trying to recruit me as soon as I hit town and said that it didn’t matter about my age as there is a job for everyone.” Miller was unsure about the level of commitment and training required, while his partner, Heidi, wasn’t keen on the danger it might involve. Yet, as the Covid lockdowns were enforced, Miller realised that volunteering would be a good way to become a part of the community. He signed up to train as an external firefighter, which meant he only tackled blazes from outside the burning structures rather than potentially running inside buildings to rescue people. He was soon ready to respond to emergencies, and given a uniform, helmet and pager. “The exterior firefighting training owned my life for three months, with night classes and Saturday sessions covering everything from operating a pump panel to throwing ladders,” he says. “We started every session with a ‘donning drill’, racing to put 40lb [18kg] of equipment on in under a minute. We sometimes had to do it four or five times and I was staggering by the end. It immediately improved my fitness.” Passing his certification and becoming a full member of his crew, Miller witnessed the extent of the problem facing rural fire departments. “The average age of our crew is 54 and only three of us are under 45,” he says. “We have some in their 70s and I’ve seen other crews where people are in their 80s. Every person counts.” While younger volunteers might be needed to rush into burning buildings, older members are typically external firefighters. Averaging 60 callouts a year, many of them due to faulty smoke detectors or part of mutual aid requests from neighbouring departments, Miller has experienced his fair share of hair-raising moments. “I’ve been on car fires and wildfires, which are stubborn and difficult. Cars can also give off some gnarly fumes when they are melting,” he says. “The worst feeling is when you get paged, show up and you’re the only one at the station. That happened once when I was early into my training and it was terrifying thinking I would have to lead the callout. Luckily, when I arrived on the scene there were other emergency medical staff there to help.” Despite the urgent need for volunteers, Miller has learned to set boundaries and not respond to calls when he might be putting himself at risk. “You need to know when to say no. No one will call you up on it, since the pressure to show up is all self-imposed,” he says. “If it’s 90F [32C] outside and I’m running in all my gear, I’m putting myself in too much danger at my age. So it’s better to stay at home.” Now 69, Miller has noticed a huge positive effect on his physical fitness thanks to his fire crew’s weekly drills. “Manoeuvring a fire hose that’s fully pressurised is like handling a 200ft python that doesn’t want to be moved,” he says. “It’s a workout being on the nozzle and it’s definitely kept me feeling young.” The greatest impact has come from helping people during some of the worst moments of their lives. “It’s massively rewarding to put yourself out there for strangers and they are so grateful for us, too,” he says. “Someone accidentally started a forest fire with his chainsaw and after we put it out he sent us a very nice donation. It showed how much people appreciate us.” Despite initially thinking he would stop volunteering at 70, as that milestone approaches, Miller is now committed to carrying on. “I feel like I’m still learning and that’s really exciting to me,” he says. “One of the essential things in life is to feel you have a purpose, and this is mine. I’ll keep going as long as I’m able. It gets in your blood.” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/sep/02/a-new-start-after-60-i-was-hoping-for-a-quiet-retirement-but-instead-i-became-a-firefighter

An arctic tern with a sand eel in north Wales. The species is among several at grave risk of local extinction. Photograph: Chantal Macleod-Nolan/RSPB/PA Five seabirds have been added to the UK’s conservation red list, meaning they are at dire risk of local extinction. The government has been urged to act as the arctic tern, Leach’s storm petrel, common gull, great skua and great black-backed gull join other seabird species such as the puffin on the list after severe po[CENSORED]tion declines. The research, published in the journal British Birds, has assessed that these species should join the kittiwake, herring gull, roseate tern and arctic skua on the red list. Seabirds are in a precarious position as their breeding areas are under threat from climate breakdown, and the food they eat such as sand eels are overfished and at risk from warming seas. Invasive predators such as rodents decimate their young, and bird flu has caused po[CENSORED]tion declines in several species. Conservationists have asked the government to expand protected marine areas to stop overfishing of their food and bycatch, whereby seabirds are caught in fishing nets. Great skua in the Highlands. Conservation groups are calling for robust and resourced seabird conservation strategies. Photograph: Arterra/Universal Images Group/Getty It is important for global seabird po[CENSORED]tions that the UK takes action because Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands support most of the global po[CENSORED]tions of breeding manx shearwater (96%), northern gannet (70%) and great skua (64-67%). The RSPB has welcomed decisions by the English and Scottish governments to bring forward a ban on sand eel fishing in UK waters. Katie-jo Luxton, the global conservation director for the RSPB, said: “We need urgent action from our governments to address this dire situation to tackle the drivers of these declines and enable recovery. “We are calling for robust and resourced seabird conservation strategies that can deliver rapid protection of seabird breeding islands from invasive predators, improvements in the marine protected areas network for seabirds, better spatial planning of marine developments to avoid important areas, better fisheries management to ensure there are sufficient prey species and new measures on boats that tackle the bycatch of seabirds in fishing gear.” The data adds to a worrying picture for the health of the UK’s bird po[CENSORED]tion. They have been added to the Birds of Conservation Concern review, which shows that of 245 regularly occurring bird species in the UK, 73 (30%) are on the UK red list. A puffin at RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve in East Yorkshire. Warmer seas are contributing to po[CENSORED]tion decline. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images The figures were collected during the previous national seabird census, published in November 2023, and have been supplemented with newer data from the British Trust for Ornithology/joint nature conservation committee seabird monitoring programme. David Noble, the principal ecologist at the BTO, said: “Seabirds are an iconic part of nature along our coastlines, whether foraging on beaches and rocky shores, patrolling urban seafronts or breeding in spectacular colonies on cliffs. “The multiple pressures that they face from reductions in food sources caused by climate change and overfishing, from invasive nest predators on islands and avian flu have resulted in some significant changes in numbers. “Continued monitoring, by volunteers as well as professionals, is essential to provide timely evidence of the impact of these and other threats, and to assess the effectiveness of any conservation actions.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/02/arctic-tern-common-gull-red-list-uk-species-crisis-seabirds-climate-breakdown-overfishing

Vice presidential nominee JD Vance has made fighting the opioid crisis a focus of his campaign for the November 5 election [Josh Reynolds/AP Photo] The Republican running mate has made his family history with addiction a key talking point in the US presidential race. Middletown, Ohio – The speech was JD Vance’s chance to introduce himself to a national audience. A freshman senator from Ohio, Vance had only 18 months of experience in Congress when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump picked him to be his 2024 running mate. It was a Monday in July when the announcement about Vance’s selection was made. By that Wednesday, Vance was on stage at the Republican National Convention, preparing to address voters across the United States. What he decided to share was a glimpse at his family’s history with opioid addiction. “Our movement is about single moms like mine who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up. I’m proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober. I love you, mom,” he said, as his mother, Bev Vance, blew him a kiss from the crowd. The audience erupted in chants of “JD’s mom! JD’s mom!” Vance has made tackling the opioid crisis a mainstay of his campaign appearances ever since. This month, when he rallied in Byron Center, Michigan, he outlined a vision in which he and Trump would close US borders to “stop the drugs”. Then, a few days later in Kenosha, Wisconsin, he called for drug dealers to receive the death penalty. But in Vance’s home state of Ohio, addiction experts and advocates say they have yet to hear policy proposals in this year’s presidential race that would adequately address the complex nature of the opioid crisis. Jackie Phillips Carter, the health commissioner for the city of Middletown, Vance’s hometown, said neither Democrats nor Republicans have put forward viable solutions. “There are so many obstacles and roadblocks,” she said, “that I don’t think anybody is serious about addressing the issue.” JD Vance’s hometown of Middletown, Ohio, has struggled since the collapse of the American steel industry in the late 20th century [Stephen Starr/Al Jazeera] Barriers to access When advocate Dennis Cauchon reflects on the hurdles to confronting the opioid crisis, he thinks of his colleague Dylan Stanley. Cauchon serves as president of Harm Reduction Ohio, a drug policy nonprofit based east of the state capital, Columbus. In 2018, he hired Stanley to lead community outreach. She excelled at the role. Cauchon credits her with saving countless lives. “Dylan was one of our earliest and best distributors of naloxone,” Cauchon said, referring to the nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. But Stanley herself struggled with addiction, and she relied on methadone to treat her opioid use disorder. Getting the medication, though, required her to criss-cross Columbus by bus: Only certified treatment programmes can dispense the tightly regulated drug. And there was regularly a line at the door by the time she arrived. Four years ago this month, Stanley died of a probable overdose at age 30, Cauchon said. She left behind a two-year-old daughter, Ruby. While Cauchon said he respects Vance’s personal story, he feels it is unlikely the Republican’s hard-knuckle proposals will move the needle when it comes to helping those struggling with addiction, like Stanley. “I don’t think he has a good understanding of what needs to be done. A lot of people are well-meaning but do the opposite of what’s needed because it’s a complex issue,” said Cauchon. “His policies — increasing the drug war and prison sentences and arrests — do the opposite. I don’t think that’s his intent, but I do think that’s the result.” A chronicle of decline Since the mid-2010s, Ohio has consistently had one of the steepest proportions of overdose deaths in the country. While the number of deaths has fallen significantly in recent years, the state still averages 45.6 deaths for every 100,000 people — the 10th highest rate in the country. The crisis hit Vance’s hometown of Middletown particularly hard. In the five years from 2017 to 2022, Middletown’s Butler County saw one of the most elevated rates of overdose-related deaths in the state. Vance captured the crisis in his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. It painted a portrait of Middletown as a Rust Belt city in decline, full of shuttered shops and fading parks. It also relayed the story of his mother’s struggles with heroin and OxyContin, a prescription opioid. The book’s publication in 2016 propelled Vance to national stardom, and that same year, he established Our Ohio Renewal, a nonprofit formed to “combat Ohio’s opioid epidemic”. Vance explained that the organisation’s focus was to assist “the grandparents and aunts and uncles taking care of a lot of the kids who had been orphaned by the epidemic”. It even pushed the state legislature to support the “caregivers” who help family members affected by opioid addiction. But in 2021, Our Ohio Renewal closed down. It had faced criticism for employing an addiction specialist with ties to Purdue Pharma, a now-bankrupt pharmaceutical company accused of aggressively pushing highly addictive opioids like OxyContin to consumers. And the experts who spoke to Al Jazeera questioned whether the nonprofit amounted to much. “It really didn’t do anything. I deal with this issue every day across the whole state, and we had no contact with it,” said Cauchon. “It didn’t do any good, but it didn’t do any harm.” Pastor Scotty Robertson fears Vance’s portrayal of his upbringing has reinforced local stereotypes [Stephen Starr/Al Jazeera] Feeding stereotypes? Some critics, however, argue that Vance’s depiction of the region did indeed cause harm, by feeding into stereotypes about the root causes of addiction. In Hillbilly Elegy, for instance, Vance credits a “culture in crisis” with creating the situation in Middletown. “You can walk through a town where 30 percent of the young men work fewer than twenty hours a week and find not a single person aware of his own laziness,” Vance writes. Scotty Robertson, a pastor in Middletown who grew up in West Virginia’s Appalachian coalfields, found Vance’s airing of his family’s addiction struggles problematic for several reasons. The book, Robertson explained, allowed Vance to present himself as a paragon of success, while those around him are often depicted as uneducated and drug-addicted. “I think the context in which the story is told actually reinforces the stereotype, in light of how he uses the story to elevate himself,” he said. Robertson believes Vance’s current political stance is another reflection of those stereotypes. Vance, for example, has opposed “housing-first” policies that would offer lodging to those facing homelessness, for fear they would introduce “people with serious drug problems” into communities. “It’s a political agenda that dehumanises,” Robertson said. “If [his] story was told for Vance to achieve the right kinds of outcomes, then I think the story very much could have been used for the purpose of humanising.” Phillips Carter, the Middletown health commissioner, also believes part of the difficulty in addressing addiction lies in breaking down stereotypes about who is vulnerable. She wants the public to understand that those struggling with addiction are simply everyday people. “The biggest challenge now is always bringing the human component,” she said. “So often the biggest challenge is trying to bring the humanity and education that addiction is a disease.” JD Vance spent much of his childhood in the steel-working town of Middletown, Ohio [Megan Jelinger/Reuters] Turning the tide There are also significant hurdles to getting treatment for addiction and related conditions, Phillips Carter added. “Mental health treatment is very difficult to get,” she explained. “There is insurance. There is red tape. People can’t go into multiple programming. Sometimes women can’t get treatment where men go. Sometimes a family will lose its kids if [a parent] goes into treatment.” But she and other experts believe there is reason to be hopeful. Overdose deaths in Ohio are down 34 percent so far in 2024, compared to the same period last year. Nationally, deaths fell in 2023 for the first time in five years. New federal regulations easing restrictions on methadone were also announced in April. Ohio itself invests nearly $100m a year in prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery responses. Cauchon, the president of Harm Reduction Ohio, credits local and state leaders like Governor Mike DeWine with working across party lines to lower the number of deaths. “Is the response everything it could be?” Cauchon asked. “No, but it’s much better than five or 10 years ago.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/30/in-jd-vances-home-state-of-ohio-an-ongoing-fight-against-opioid-addiction

Israeli troops have handed to the Palestinian health authorities the body of a Palestinian man arrested about an hour earlier in the occupied West Bank. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Monday that it had received the body of 58-year-old Ayman Rajeh Abed, who belonged to Kafr Dan village outside Jenin, shortly after he was arrested at dawn on Monday. The director of the Jenin Government Hospital said the body bore signs of beatings and torture. The Israeli military said Abed was detained during “counterterrorism” operations and experienced a “cardiac event” on arrival at a detention facility. He was given initial treatment by medical staff from the military before being transferred to the hospital in Jenin. “[Israel’s army] is aware of reports that the suspect died during his evacuation by the Red Crescent,” the military said in a statement, adding that details of the incident were under review. Israeli military vehicles are stationed along a street as a plume of smoke rises during an ongoing raid in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp on September 1, 2024 [Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP] The incident came as the Israeli forces expanded their operations in the flashpoint city of Jenin and the surrounding areas for a sixth day. Bulldozers continued to dig up streets and major thoroughfares to find roadside bombs on Monday. Israel launched the operation, one of the largest in months, last Wednesday, saying Iranian-backed fighter groups were planning to attack civilian targets. Hundreds of Israeli troops backed by drones and helicopters have taken part in the operation, which has caused extensive damage to houses and infrastructure in Jenin and the densely-packed refugee camp adjacent to the city. ‘Collective punishment’ Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Kafr Dan, said the Palestinians in Jenin kept repeating that what has been happening over the past six days is “collective punishment”. “They say Israel wants to show that Palestinians would pay a heavy price for supporting armed fighters – those who pick up arms and try to combat Israeli forces while they are raiding Palestinian homes, refugee camps and cities,” she said. At least 29 Palestinians have been killed in less than a week, with Israel claiming they were members of armed factions including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Another 121 people have been wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities. Late on Sunday, a man was killed in the west of Jenin city. On Monday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said another man was hit in the chest by gunfire in Qabatiya near Jenin. His condition was described as serious. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/2/palestinian-dies-an-hour-after-israel-arrested-him-from-occupied-west-bank

Nick movie: 2073 Time: Movie Trailers Source Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 2 min Trailer:

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William Ellard celebrates after winning gold in the pool. Photograph: Eng Chin An/Reuters ParalympicsGB enjoy Super Saturday in pool as Clegg, Ellard and Tai win gold Trio of swimmers take gold in flurry at La Défense Arena Maskill adds a silver and Fiddes bronze in medal deluge John Ashdown Sat 31 Aug 2024 18.17 BST Share ParalympicsGB swimmers enjoyed a Super Saturday in Paris, collecting five medals – including three golds – in a 40-minute flurry at La Défense Arena, and breaking two world records in the process. The deluge helped solidify Great Britain’s spot in second place in the medal table – China having disappeared over the horizon at the top – on a day in which joy in the pool was matched by heartbreak at the velodrome, where a late crash denied Archie Atkinson a seemingly certain gold. Stephen Clegg kicked things off in the pool with a dominant swim in the S12 100m backstroke, coming home nearly two seconds ahead of his nearest rivals in a world record time of 59.02sec. The Scot had collected three medals at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 but none of them the gold he so desperately wanted. Such was his frustration after those Games that he took a break from the pool and turned to jujitsu in an attempt to refresh his mindset. That has paid off handsomely, and his performance bodes well for his chances in the butterfly and freestyle later in Paris. “I’m speechless. I wanted to bury my head in the sand after Tokyo,” the 28-year-old told Channel 4. “I think coming into this I wanted to get the monkey off my back. This gold has been a long time coming. The pressure is off a bit in terms of that barrier. What a way to start.” Clegg was followed on to the top step of the podium by William Ellard in the S14 200m freestyle. The 18-year-old from Suffolk said the buildup was “probably the most nervous I’ve ever been before a race” but betrayed no sign of nerves as he took gold by a distance, his time of 1min 51.30sec another world record. Alice Tai secured a third gold for Britain three minutes later in the women’s S8 100m backstroke. The 25-year-old, who was born with bilateral talipes (also known as clubfoot), is an eight-time world champion and won a gold at the Rio Games in 2016. Great Britain’s Stephen Clegg (centre) with his gold medal. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Tai missed Tokyo through injury – instead having to settle for a spot on the punditry sofa – and in 2022 had her right leg amputated below the knee due to increasing pain in her foot. She has returned to her best since then and her performance in Paris was sensational, coming home almost six seconds ahead of the field. There was also a double for ParalympicsGB in the women’s S14 200m freestyle, with Poppy Maskill picking up a silver to add to the gold she won in the 100m butterfly, and Louise Fiddes a bronze as neutral athlete Valeriia Shabalina won gold. Earlier there was drama in the velodrome as Atkinson tumbled to the boards in the men’s C4 4,000m individual pursuit final. With less than two laps to go the 20-year-old crashed when well clear of his opponent and had to be helped from the track, though his silver medal proved some consolation. “I just ran out of energy and went down but I’m so proud, so happy,” he said. “A world record and a silver medal, I wouldn’t have believed that in my wildest dream.” Jaco van Gass narrowly missed out on another medal, after his gold on Friday, breaking the world record but finishing fourth after time adjustments in the C1-3 1,000m time trial. In the table tennis, the British pair of Paul Karabardak and Billy Shilton were forced to settle for bronze in the MD14 men’s doubles after a 3-0 defeat against the No 1 seeds from Thailand in their semi-final at the South Paris Arena. “When we were leading we could have been a bit more positive,” said Welshman Karabardak, a silver and bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020, following the 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 loss. “Had we taken one of those first two sets it might have been a different game – that’s sport and we have to give them credit for taking their opportunities.” GB’s men’s wheelchair basketball team made it two wins out of two in the group stage with an impressive 88-58 win over the London 2012 gold medallists Canada, with the captain Philip Pratt contributing 20 points. The women’s team, though, were beaten 63-54 in their group-stage game against Canada. “The most important thing from this is staying together and staying united,” said the captain, Sophie Carrigill. “We’ll keep our heads up.” This article was amended on 1 September 2024 to correct the spelling of Louise Fiddes’ last name. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/31/paralympics-britain-swimming-super-saturday-golds

BrightDrop, General Motors' commercial EV brand, will now be absorbed by Chevrolet. The electric vans will now be called the 2025 Chevy BrightDrop 400 and BrightDrop 600. The vans have a maximum range of 272 miles and are offered with front- or all-wheel drive. Chevrolet finally has a new van, and no, it's not a next-generation Express, despite the Express having been in production since the start of the Clinton Administration's second term. In fact, the new Chevy van isn't really new at all. Instead, General Motors is integrating BrightDrop, its commercial EV brand, which has been building vans since 2022, under the Chevrolet umbrella. The cargo carriers are now known as the 2025 Chevrolet BrightDrop 400 and BrightDrop 600, with the numeral suffix designating the vans' size. GM says the move allows the BrightDrop EVs to capitalize on Chevy's "broad commercial vehicle sales and service dealer network." According to GM, all Chevy dealerships will be allowed to sell and service the vans as long as they meet certain requirements for selling commercial EVs. The BrightDrop vans will continue to be built at the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The BrightDrop vans are offered in four configurations, with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive in the 400 or 600 body style. The BrightDrop 400 measures 238.6 inches long with a 153.1-inch wheelbase; the 600 is 290.0 inches long with a 183.5-inch wheelbase. The extra distance gives the BrightDrop 600 a 615-cubic-foot cargo area, while the 400's capacity is 412 cubic feet. The maximum available payload is 3480 pounds for the AWD 400 and 3130 pounds for the AWD 600. Both front-drive models are rated at 3350 pounds. The vans utilize the Ultium battery platform, with GM estimating a maximum range of 272 miles for the AWD vans when fitted with the optional "Max Range" battery. GM also notes a "standard range" of 159 miles for the 400 and 164 miles for the 600, regardless of the drivetrain. On a DC fast-charger, the BrightDrop can replenish the battery at a rate of up to 120 kW, while on a Level 2 AC charger, the FWD van maxes out at 11.5 kW, and the AWD van is capable of up to 19.2 kW. The all-wheel-drive models use a pair of electric motors that produce 300 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, while the single-motor FWD vans produce 240 hp and 300 pound-feet. Inside, drivers are greeted with a dashboard that looks vastly more modern than the cabin of an Express. An 11.3-inch center infotainment screen runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and is supplemented by an 11.0-inch digital gauge cluster. Other features include automatic climate control, a heated seat, a heated steering wheel, and heated power-adjustable side mirrors. There is also a full suite of driver-assistance technology, including forward-collision alert, automatic emergency braking, front and rear park assist, and lane-keep assist. GM hasn't provided details on pricing, but the BrightDrop vans are only available to fleet customers. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a62018704/chevrolet-brightdrop-electric-vans/

‘If a date is boring, don’t waste your time. Mumble something about no chemistry and depart.’ Photograph: Diego Cervo/Getty Images The question I am a woman in my 30s and I notice I can find conversation unfulfilling. When I am with new people, I find myself either having a bit of commentary in my head or doing lots of listening to their problems, as they might overshare things and I feel as if they are dumping on me. Such conversation feels unsatisfactory. This is not a feeling I get with older friends, where sharing and turn-taking is mostly natural and comfortable. I notice that on dates someone might tell me anecdotes and I feel they aren’t connecting with me – sometimes a man will describe to me the plot of a film and I might be feeling desperately bored and be longing to be asked a question about myself or have a bit of back and forth about what is happening in the present moment. Do I have to push through that bit until I get to the comfortable conversation and parity stage? I find it easy and enjoyable to meet and talk to people in shops, on the bus, etc, and count it as a real pleasure in my life. But, on the other hand, I often feel I must make reassuring noises as people sometimes start talking about quite heavy, difficult things. For example, I met a woman today for the first time and she started telling me about the problems in her marriage and with her teenage son. I felt a bit trapped. I think I would have preferred to have a more surface-level conversation. Especially as I don’t think I will see her again. I wonder if I find it hard to take up space in conversation so get other people talking instead. I’d appreciate your insights and advice. Philippa’s answer I have a mischievous friend who is never bored at parties. Their trick is to always take two drinks. If they fall into a conversation with someone they find engaging, they share the extra drink with that person, if, on the other hand, they find themselves feeling bored, they excuse themselves and say they need to get this drink to somebody else. Of course, I cannot condone such duplicitous behaviour! I think you are doing well. You don’t sound as though you are self-conscious – the usual stumbling block when it comes to connecting with new people. It’s more that you get bored when someone doesn’t interest you. Not all people are our people and that’s OK. It’s great that you want more from your conversations with new people, but you’re not obliged to serve as a counsellor or listen to irrelevant anecdotes. By setting boundaries, practising taking your own space and seeking out people who can relate to you rather than talk at you, your encounters may become more rewarding. So how do we do that? When you feel that the other person is taking up too much space, take some back for yourself. Share what’s on your mind, perhaps share some of that commentary that’s going on in your head. To the woman who told you all her problems with her husband and son, you could even say, if it is true for you, “Wow, this is too much too soon for me!” Or, if you’d prefer to be more tactful, you could try steering to a new subject with something like: “Gosh, you are going through a lot, I hope things get better. Try watching Couples Therapy with Orna Guralnik. It’s a great series. I’m looking for a new thing to stream next, any recommendations?” It might bring things to an embarrassing juddering halt, but that might be less tedious than the feeling of being dumped on. To the unsatisfactory dates, you can share what’s happening for you, too. For example: “I feel I’m being talked at rather than related to.” This might not make the encounters any more meaningful for you, but then again it just might. I have a similar phobia about having film plots regaled to me. I always interrupt and say, “Sorry, I can’t bear film plots.” That’s an example of putting down a boundary. And never mind if they don’t like it, the encounter wasn’t working for you anyway. You can also ask for what you want. You can say something like: “I have asked you three questions about you, I would now like you to repay the compliment and ask me something.” You are allowed to take up space and steer conversations into directions you are more interested in. You are also allowed to exit. If a date is boring, don’t waste your time. Mumble something about no chemistry and depart. If a date broadcasts at you, it’s a possible red flag. Perhaps when you feel bored with others, you fear doing the same to them. There is always a risk we will bore other people when we steer the conversation to topics that interest us, but on the other hand how marvellous when we do chance upon what feels like a connection. But sometimes two people just don’t click because there is insufficient overlap for them to do so, it’s not that either of them were doing anything wrong. For more information about how we connect, try The Book You Want Everyone You Love to Read, by me. Every week Philippa Perry addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Philippa, please send your problem to askphilippa@guardian.co.uk. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/sep/01/i-find-conversations-with-dates-dissatisfying-specially-when-they-tell-me-the-plots-of-films

It is thought more than 200,000 badgers have been culled in the past decade. Photograph: Roy Waller/Alamy Badger culling will end in England by 2029, the government has said. Some culls under existing licences will continue until 2026, according to sources at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), but it is highly unlikely any new ones will be granted. The National Farmers’ Union has been lobbying government to keep the badger cull until there is definitive proof bovine tuberculosis (bTB) can be stopped without killing badgers. However, Defra ministers have said not enough research has been done in recent years to find out whether badgers carry the disease. It is thought more than 200,000 badgers have been culled in the past decade, and the government will commission a po[CENSORED]tion survey to ascertain the damage the cull has done to wildlife po[CENSORED]tions. The last such survey was carried out in 2012. It will also create a badger vaccination taskforce and set up a scientific survey to find out whether wild badgers are carrying bTB. Daniel Zeichner, the minister for food security and rural affairs, said: “Bovine tuberculosis has devastated British farmers and wildlife for far too long. It has placed dreadful hardship and stress on farmers who continue to suffer the loss of valued herds and has taken a terrible toll on our badger po[CENSORED]tions. “No more. Our comprehensive TB eradication package will allow us to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament and stop the spread of this horrific disease.” Campaigners have called for Labour to move faster. Peter Hambly, the chief executive of the Badger Trust, said: “The new announcement … focuses too much on badgers rather than cattle, when it is cattle that are the main spreaders of this cattle disease. It admits the government doesn’t know how many badgers are left or how many even have bTB. They haven’t counted them and haven’t tested them but continue to slaughter them. “[This is] contrary to the scientific evidence which points to reducing cattle-to-cattle transmission as the way forward. In the election campaign, Labour admitted badger culling was ineffective, yet they have chosen to target badgers for slaughter in their tens of thousands.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/30/badger-culling-end-england-2029-government-says

Afghan citizens deboard a US evacuation flight from Kabul in southern Spain on August 31, 2021 [Jon Nazca/Reuters] Washington, DC – Nasrin will not be able to vote in the United States elections in November. Still, the 27-year-old has a message for the presidential candidates, on behalf of Afghans like herself who fled as the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. “I really want them to hear us, especially to hear those voices that worked for the US,” Nasrin, who asked to use a pseudonym, told Al Jazeera. Friday marks three years since the last American soldiers left Afghanistan, ending a two-decade military presence that began with the toppling of the Taliban government in 2001. But the chaotic nature of the military withdrawal — and the swift reestablishment of Taliban rule — have cast a long shadow over US politics. A source of ongoing bipartisan criticism, the withdrawal has become a prominent talking point in the 2024 presidential race, with Democrats and Republicans exchanging blame for the lives lost during the troops’ departure. But Afghans like Nasrin say there is an important perspective lost in the election-year sparring: theirs. “This election is not only important for America. It’s also important for Afghans,” said Nasrin, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. “For Afghans who immigrated here and for Afghans in Afghanistan … especially the women, this election will have a huge impact.” A 2021 protest in Los Angeles called for an ‘open door’ policy for Afghan evacuees and expedited processing of immigration cases [File: Ringo HW Chiu/Reuters] Two parties, one controversy What happened in 2021 is a story that embroils the central players in this year’s presidential race. In 2020, the administration of Republican President Donald Trump reached a controversial agreement with the Taliban to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. A few months later, Trump lost his bid for re-election. His successor, Democratic President Joe Biden, oversaw a mad-dash evacuation of US citizens, coalition allies and tens of thousands of vulnerable Afghans as the deadline loomed. By August 2021, the Taliban had swept across the country in a lightning offensive, reclaiming its former power. Its forces entered the Afghan capital Kabul on August 15. The last US plane flew out of the city on August 30. In those final days, a bomb attack killed about 170 Afghans hoping to enter the airport, as well as 13 members of the US military. Government investigators have blamed the administrations of both Biden and Trump for the chaotic situation: Trump for reaching an agreement seen as favouring the Taliban and Biden for moving forward with the plan without putting in safeguards to stop the Taliban. Trump has also faced criticism for limiting the pathways for Afghans to escape to the US. He is now, once again, the Republican candidate for president. Meanwhile, Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, is heading the Democratic ticket. A lingering failure But advocates say both parties must still confront an enduring dilemma: how to protect the hundreds of thousands of Afghans who fear repression under the Taliban. Many who were left behind are considered likely targets for the Taliban, especially if they worked for the US military or the US-backed government. Even among those who were evacuated, many have been left in perpetual uncertainty, with no clear path to US residency or citizenship. Others have found the legal pathways to the US too narrow and have sought more dangerous routes to enter the country. For her part, Nasrin said she worked as an interpreter for the US embassy in Kabul. After fleeing, she was able to become a US resident through a “Special Immigrant Visa” (SIV) programme designated for Afghans who worked for the US government. Another evacuee, who asked to be identified only as Nazanin, fled Kabul on an evacuation flight with her 16-year-old sister following the Taliban’s rise. She has since been granted asylum in the US, but she said she sees only broken promises from both parties as many other Afghans both in the US and in Afghanistan have been left in the lurch. “I don’t think Afghan voices are being heard by politicians,” she told Al Jazeera. “My message to the presidential candidates is that you do not represent the majority of the refugee society or Americans that I know or see their perspective on social media platforms and that your false promises are noted.” Inadequate immigration pathways Arash Azizzada — the executive director of Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, an advocacy group — said members of the Afghan community in the US, like him, feel a “sense of anger and disappointment” this election season “when we look at both candidates”. “We are feeling pretty invisible this election season,” he added. Azizzada’s group has spent the last three years pushing for more immigration pathways for those fleeing the Taliban, including an increase in special visas for Afghans who worked directly with the US and pathways to permanent residency for other evacuees. But little progress has been made, Azizzada explained. “It has been the hallmark of Biden’s presidency to consider anything related to Afghanistan radioactive,” Azizzada said. “And Democrats have gone through this election season with barely any mention of Afghanistan or the Afghan people.” That includes not mentioning the 160,000 Afghans who have been successfully relocated to the US since the withdrawal, something Azizzada argues could be framed as a victory for Democrats. The Biden administration has upscaled the processing of Special Immigrant Visa applications, which had all but ground to a halt under Trump. Still, as of March, 60,230 applicants had submitted all the required paperwork and were awaiting initial approval to move ahead with the process, according to the US State Department. Another 75,000 were also in the process of applying. The administration has also increased refugee processing for Afghans, with 11,168 refugees admitted so far in fiscal year 2024. That is up from approximately 6,500 admitted in fiscal year 2023 and just over 1,600 in the immediate wake of the withdrawal, in fiscal year 2022. Critics nevertheless say legal pathways for vulnerable Afghans are still woefully inadequate. Afghanistan as a ‘cudgel’ While Democrats have been largely silent on the subject of the Afghanistan withdrawal, Azizzada noted that Republicans have embraced the subject this election cycle — but only as a “partisan cudgel and tool”. That was apparent on Monday, as Trump hosted a campaign event at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He joined the families of several soldiers who were killed at the Kabul airport for a memorial ceremony there. Hours later, Trump gave a speech to a conference of National Guard members in Detroit. Faced with military members and their families, he highlighted the Democrats’ role in the Afghanistan troop withdrawal. “Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world,” Trump told the crowd. He pledged to “get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity, to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day”. In a subsequent statement, Harris defended the withdrawal, saying the Biden administration “has demonstrated we can still eliminate terrorists, including the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS, without troops deployed into combat zones”. For Azizzada, one word best describes the absence of any mention of Afghans in the election discourse: “dehumanising”. A political opportunity? Still, some advocates have seen reason for hope in the inclusion of Afghans in the Democratic National Committee’s policy platform, released earlier this month. It calls for the “provisions to streamline applications of at-risk Afghan allies” through the US refugee programme and “a process for Afghan evacuees to have their status adjusted to lawful permanent resident”. Many Afghans evacuated during the troop withdrawal were granted access to the US through the “humanitarian parole” programme, which allows them to live and work in the country. However, it offers no pathway to permanent residency. Legislation known as the Afghan Adjustment Act, that would create that pathway — as well as other means of support for Afghans in the US — has continued to languish in Congress. Joseph Azam, a lawyer and chair of the Afghan-American Foundation, said the legislation has stalled in the “headwinds” of a deep partisan divide over immigration. Republicans, he explained, have largely opposed increasing immigration. Democrats, meanwhile, “have lurched to the right” on the issue. “Any kind of signal that they have empathy — or there are carve-outs, or there are people to whom this increasingly extreme approach to immigration does not apply — is seen as politically wrong,” Azam said. Nevertheless, Azam argued the candidates should view the issue as a political opportunity rather than an albatross. He pointed out that influential veterans groups support increased immigration pathways for Afghans who worked alongside the US military, including through the Afghan Adjustment Act. Veterans, he added, are also a powerful voting bloc in swing states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. “The five or six states that are probably going to decide this election happen to also have some of the largest po[CENSORED]tions of US veterans,” Azam said. “If you can move a couple thousand people and their families on this issue in a key state, that’s the election, right?” ‘Honours its pledges’ When asked about the issues they want to hear on the campaign trail, advocates for Afghan refugees named a myriad: from immigration reform to increased funding for resettlement services. In her work, for instance, immigration lawyer Laila Ayub helps lead Project ANAR, a nonpartisan non-profit group that provides legal services to recently arrived Afghans. She told Al Jazeera that, with few options to migrate legally, Afghans are making treacherous journeys across the southern US border. That leaves her concerned about the emphasis this election season on border and asylum restrictions. “Afghan Americans, like myself, are voters, and we need to hear proactive support for our community, not just in terms of a national security framing,” she said. “Our community was impacted by decades of US foreign policy and military presence, and that there’s historical precedent for enacting protections.” Naheed Samadi Bahram, the US country director for the nonpartisan community group Women for Afghan Women, said she hopes for a presidential candidate who “cares about women’s rights, somebody who cares about the immigrants’ rights”. She spoke to Al Jazeera just days after the Taliban published a new raft of “vice and virtue” laws, which bans women from being heard in public, among other restrictions. Bahram added that she would like to see more funding for legal and mental health services for Afghans in the US. Many community groups rely mostly on donations from foundations and individuals, she explained. “I’m hopeful for this election, and I hope that the election will bring a lot of life into the situation in Afghanistan and to the evacuation process,” she said. Still, she acknowledged, “it will be very difficult”. Khalil Anwari, who works for the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a nonpartisan non-profit, said candidates should view support for Afghans as sending a wider message to the world about the strength of US ideals. “For many years, the US — when it comes to being a place of refuge — globally, it has been the leading country. However, in the past couple of years, based on policies that were undertaken, it has lost that status,” said Anwari, who also fled Afghanistan on an evacuation flight following the Taliban takeover. Providing opportunities for Afghans to seek safety is a way the US can regain that status and bolster its standing on the world stage, he explained. “This goes hand in hand with the understanding that the US honours its pledges to their allies,” Anwari said. “That is seen by people all over the world when the pledges that are made are honoured.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/30/afghanistan-is-a-us-election-issue-will-its-refugees-voices-be-heard

The United Nations, in collaboration with Palestinian health authorities, has officially begun a campaign to vaccinate children in the Gaza Strip against the poliovirus, which can cause paralysis of the limbs or even death in children. This comes after the virus, previously defeated in the enclave following a mass vaccination drive, was discovered last month after 25 years. The detection of the polio case highlights the collapse of Gaza’s health infrastructure due to almost 11 months of nonstop Israeli bombardment. What is polio and how is it back in Gaza? Polio is a serious infection that can spread quickly, especially in unhygienic conditions, as it can be transmitted through contact with excrement. It can also spread through coughs and sneezes, though it is less common. Most people do not exhibit symptoms after contracting the virus, with some showing mild, flu-like symptoms like high temperature, fatigue and headaches that usually last up to 10 days. But the virus can also affect the brain and nerves, leading to paralysis and in some cases even death. The Israeli military has destroyed water supply and wastewater disposal networks across the Palestinian territory, with waste accumulating near tiny areas where hundreds of thousands of civilians are forcibly displaced. According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, the Israeli army has also stopped transferring the waste away from civilian areas by imposing control over waste dumps and targeting municipality workers, machinery and mechanisms in place to manage waste. Abdel-Rahman Abu el-Jedian, a 10-month-old Palestinian, became partially paralysed last month after contracting polio, which he had been unable to receive because his family was repeatedly displaced as a result of Israeli military operations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an interruption in routine immunisation campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, has contributed to its re-emergence. How will the vaccination campaign work? About 2,700 health workers are involved in the campaign, backed by the WHO, UNICEF and the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees or UNRWA in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Gaza. It formally started in the central part of the enclave on Sunday, where it would last through September 4, before moving to Khan Younis and Rafah in the south (September 5-8) and northern Gaza governorates (September 9-12). A handful of children were given the first few doses at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Saturday before the large-scale rollout started. Some 640,000 children aged between one day and 10 years will receive the type two poliovirus vaccine, to be administered as two oral drops. Is there a truce during the vaccination drive? Fighting has been paused in a few designated areas of the Strip to allow health centres to administer the doses. But any reports of a general ceasefire in the enclave are false, according to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Israel will allow only a humanitarian corridor through which the vaccinators will pass and demarcated areas will be established that will be safe for administering the vaccine for a few hours,” it said in a statement on Sunday. “Israel sees importance in preventing the outbreak of polio in the Gaza Strip including in order to prevent the spread of epidemics in the region.” According to the UN, the initial length of the “humanitarian pause” agreed to allow the vaccination is from 6am to 3pm (09:00-18:00 GMT) every day. Top UN officials have earlier emphasised that the only effective way to vaccinate all children against the virus and a variety of other virulent diseases spreading through Gaza is by achieving an immediate and lasting ceasefire. Are the vaccines safe? According to the UN, news stories appeared online in Israel and the United States, quoting Israeli scientists falsely asserting that the polio vaccine slated to be used in Gaza is “experimental” and a danger to citizens in both Palestine and Israel. “I want to make the following clear: the safest and most effective way to protect children against the poliovirus, regardless of the variant, is to vaccinate them,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York last week. “This vaccine is safe. It is effective, and it offers top-quality protection. It is a vaccine globally recommended for variant type two poliovirus outbreaks by the World Health Organization.” Dujarric said more than 1.2 billion doses of the same vaccine have been used to protect children in some 40 countries after it was rolled out in March 2021. What are the hurdles? Will the drive help prevent polio breakout? Chessa Latifi, the deputy director of emergency preparedness and response at Project HOPE, said war, forced displacement and the breakdown of the healthcare system in Gaza could hinder the vaccination drive. “I believe it’s going to [be] really unlikely for the vaccine campaign to reach the 90 percent of children that need to be vaccinated,” Latifi told Al Jazeera from Los Angeles. “There’s just no guarantee of safety. These people that need to bring their children to these clinics – first of all, do they have access to the clinics? Do they have fuel or the means to get to the clinics? Is it safe? Is it safe for the staff to get to the clinics? I know that we’ve got these brief humanitarian pauses. But is it sufficient? No,” she said. Latifi, whose organisation operates in Gaza, also said the vaccination drive alone would not help prevent the spread of the virus. “The vaccine campaign doesn’t address the core issue, which is the lack of hygiene, sanitation and clean water,” she said. “Because if we had those components – the clean water, the proper facilities for bathing and latrines – we wouldn’t have polio. But this infrastructure has been completely destroyed. You have people living in these ad hoc camps. It’s a really really dangerous situation.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/1/what-to-know-about-the-polio-vaccination-campaign-in-gaza