March 1, 2021

Portugal Sees EU Consensus on 'Digital Green Pass' for Travel

(Bloomberg) Portugal said on Monday it sees a growing consensus among European Union member states for a plan to introduce certificates to allow people with immunity to the coronavirus to travel freely.

Rita Marques, secretary of state for tourism, said a video call with EU colleagues offered the prospect of an “immediate and aligned response” from member states on a “digital green pass” for immune travelers.

“With the vaccine roll-out and a compromise by the EU Commission for a digital green pass, we have all the conditions for this summer to be a little more peaceful than 2020,” Marques said in a telephone interview. The pass will be “very important” for rebuilding confidence among travelers, she said. ..............(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-01/portugal-sees-eu-consensus-on-digital-green-pass-for-travel

March 1, 2021

Dead shark among items seized at US airports

(CNN) — Next time you travel, make sure to leave your dead shark at home -- that is, if you don't want to make the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)'s list of top 10 catches of the year.

On the list of bizarre items TSA workers found during luggage inspections, a dead baby shark came in at number six, right after a live smoke grenade.

The shark was discovered by TSA agents at Syracuse Hancock International Airport in the fall, floating in a jar of liquid chemical preservative.

And it was this liquid chemical -- not the shark -- that TSA had a problem with.

"The chemical was deemed to be considered a hazardous material and as such, was not permitted to be carried through the checkpoint," TSA said in a release. ..........(more)

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/2020-tsa-dead-shark-trnd/index.html

March 1, 2021

Crowd in Mexico stops gay couple from being arrested as they chant 'I'm gay too' at cops

A gay couple were handcuffed by armed police “for kissing” on a beach in Mexico.

A series of videos of the incident, posted to Facebook, appear to show police ushering the couple into the back of a vehicle as a crowd of fellow beachgoers chant “I’m gay too” in solidarity.

The two men are then released to cheers from the crowd gathered on the beach in Tulum, Quintana Roo, on Mexico’s east coast. ..............(more)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/lgbt-police-tulum-mexico-beach-b1809110.html

March 1, 2021

US supreme court could deal blow to provision protecting minority voters

(Guardian UK) The US supreme court will hear a case on Tuesday that could allow the court’s conservative majority to deal a major blow to the most powerful remaining provision of the Voting Rights Act, the 1965 law designed to prevent racial discrimination in voting.

The case, Brnovich v Democratic National Committee, involves a dispute over two Arizona measures. One is a 2016 law that bans anyone other than a close family member or caregiver from collecting absentee ballots, sometimes called ballot harvesting. The second is a measure that requires officials to reject ballots cast in the wrong precinct, even if the voter has cast a vote in statewide races.

Arizona rejected more than 38,335 ballots cast in the wrong precinct between 2008 and 2016 and minority voters were twice as likely than white voters to have their ballots rejected, the DNC noted in its brief. Minority voters, including the state’s Native American population, are disproportionately harmed by the ballot collection ban because they are more likely to lack reliable mail service.

The DNC argues that the policies violated section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting laws that discriminate based on race. A trial court ruled in 2018 that the policies did not violate the law, and a three-judge panel on the US court of appeals for the ninth circuit later upheld that ruling. But the full circuit voted to rehear the case and last year found that the policies did violate the Voting Rights Act. Now, Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich, a Republican, and the Arizona Republican party are appealing that ruling to the US supreme court. .............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/01/us-supreme-court-voting-rights-act-provision