US Republicans have a stark choice now.

Republicans have a stark choice now. Do they come out and publicly defend in any way — what is very indefensible — what President Trump has said. Or do they in the interest of the stability of the voting system and the stability of the democratic process in the country. Not just now but looking ahead to 2024, looking ahead to every presidential election in the future. [Do they] come out and say to President Trump 'you are wrong and we have to observe the law and we have to let the votes fall where they may.'"

China's aggressive policy of planting trees

China's aggressive policy of planting trees is likely playing a significant role in tempering its climate impacts. An international team has identified two areas in the country where the scale of carbon dioxide absorption by new forests has been underestimated. Taken together, these areas account for a little over 35% of China's entire land carbon "sink", the group says. The researchers' analysis, based on ground and satellite observations, is reported in Nature journal. Norway funds map of world's tropical forests 'Unacceptable' losses of older trees in 2019 A carbon sink is any reservoir - such as peatlands, or forests - that absorbs more carbon than it releases, thereby lowering the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. China is the world's biggest source of human-produced carbon dioxide, responsible for around 28% of global emissions. But it recently stated an intention to peak those emissions before 2030 and then to move to carbon neutrality by 2060. The specifics of how the country would reach these goals is not clear, but it inevitably has to include not only deep cuts in fossil fuel use but ways also to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. "Achieving China's net-zero target by 2060, recently announced by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, will involve a massive change in energy production and also the growth of sustainable land carbon sinks," said co-author Prof Yi Liu at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. "The afforestation activities described in [our Nature] paper will play a role in achieving that target," he told BBC News. China's increasing leafiness has been evident for some time. Billions of trees have been planted in recent decades, to tackle desertification and soil loss, and to establish vibrant timber and paper industries. The new study refines estimates for how much CO2 all these extra trees could be taking up as they grow.

Harry Bellafonte Trump is Standing in our way

Four years ago, when Donald Trump first ran for president, he urged Black people to support him, asking us, “What have you got to lose?” Four years later, we know exactly what we had to lose. Our lives, as we died in disproportionate numbers from the pandemic he has let flourish among us. Our wealth, as we have suffered disproportionately from the worst economic drop America has seen in 90 years. Our safety, as this president has stood behind those police who kill us in the streets and by the armies of white supremacy who march by night and scheme in the light of day. We have learned other things from this president, too. We have learned the names that we say now, over and over again, at each protest, so that no one will forget them. The names Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and Atatiana Jefferson and Stephon Clark and so many more. Such killings did not start with Mr. Trump, of course. But he wants us to forget them. If we do, he has offered us a “Platinum Plan” for “Black Economic Empowerment.” The name is appropriate because Mr. Trump is a man who thinks always in terms of financial transactions and deals. A “Platinum Plan,” as if he is offering to upgrade our credit card status. The plan, which at two pages is derisively brief, offers us a hodgepodge of things that he thinks we would like. He will prosecute the Ku Klux Klan — and antifa activists — as terrorists. He will make Juneteenth a national holiday and lynching a national hate crime. He will create “peaceful” urban, Black neighborhoods, replete with school choice, increased homeownership and the “highest standards” of policing. He will begin “a national clemency project” designed to “right wrongful prosecutions” and “pardon individuals who have reformed.”

ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie

ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said: “The JobMaker wage subsidy offered a glimmer of hope for young people on jobs in an otherwise devastating Federal Budget for the more than a million people who are unemployed. “It’s clear that young people have been disproportionately impacted by unemployment in this pandemic, however, there are people of all ages who will struggle to get back into employment, including older people suffering discrimination, people with disability, and people with caring responsibilities. “We’re urging that the JobMaker wage subsidy be extended to people over 35 who have been unemployed for a year or more. It’s also crucial that the JobSeeker payment and other income support payments are permanently increased to a rate that allows people to keep a roof over their head and food on the table, as they try to rebuild their lives and get back into the workforce." ACOSS Principal Advisor Dr Peter Davidson said: “Experience with wage subsidies indicates that they can boost employment, especially when the economy is recovering from recession. "Their most important purpose is to encourage employers to hire people who would otherwise be left behind, especially the half a million people of all ages who are unemployed long-term. “Contrary to stereotypes, people unemployed long-term are a diverse group who are unemployed for many different reasons ranging from illness or disability or the interruption of careers by caring responsibilities, to the misfortune of entering or reentering the paid workforce during a recession. “We cannot allow this crisis to leave large numbers of people stuck in unemployment on inadequate income support payments that make it even harder for them to find paid work.”