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USPS will stop removing letter collection boxes in Western states until after the election, spokesman says

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USPS will stop removing letter collection boxes in Western states until after the election, spokesman says

In a press release Friday night time, Rod Spurgeon — a USPS spokesperson for the service’s the Western area — advised CNN that the service will stop the elimination of letter collection boxes in 16 states and components of two others until after the election.

Meaning, in line with Spurgeon, the USPS will stop gathering the letter collection boxes solely in: Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Alaska, Nebraska and small components of Wisconsin and Missouri.

It isn’t clear if the elimination freeze would go into impact throughout the nation. Kim Frum — a spokeswoman for USPS primarily based at headquarters — couldn’t say if the freeze would go into impact throughout the nation and wouldn’t touch upon the freeze in the Western area.

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Officers say that in the final week the USPS has eliminated letter collection boxes in not less than 4 states: New York, Oregon, Montana and Indiana. The USPS has additionally begun notifying postal employees in not less than three states — West Virginia, Florida and Missouri — that they will begin to cut back their retail working hours, in line with union officers.

RELATED: Exclusive: Postal service inspector general reviewing DeJoy’s policy changes and potential ethics conflicts

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden known as the elimination of letter collection boxes “weird” throughout a web-based fundraiser Friday.

“I used to be joking earlier with a pair on the name. I’m wondering should you’re outdoors making an attempt to carry down your mailboxes. They are going round actually with tractor-trailers selecting up mailboxes,” he stated. “You oughta go surfing and take a look at what they’re doing in Oregon. I imply, it is weird!”

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And Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, known as the elimination of the letter collection boxes “voter suppression” on Twitter. Blaiming President Donald Trump, Wyden stated the President is sabotaging the election “proper beneath our noses.”

However Frum prompt the elimination, and set up, of the virtually 142,000 letter collection boxes nationwide was routine, and “has been primarily based on mail quantity obtained in these boxes.”

Frum stated that the postal service has been placing extra emphasis on stabilizing the quantity in use and transferring “low-use boxes to excessive visitors areas.” The US Postal Service blames the coronavirus pandemic, together with its enterprise mannequin, for the want to chop prices.

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Frum didn’t instantly reply to CNN’s questions on the decreased hours in West Virginia, Florida and Missouri.

The USPS has obtained intense scrutiny in current weeks as many People are anticipated to vote by mail this presidential election attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. Regardless of assuring the public earlier this month that it will have the ability to deal with the added quantity of mail-in ballots, the postal service despatched letters to a number of states warning them that slowdowns in supply might trigger ballots to indicate up late and never be counted.

Trump has steadily attacked the postal service, and Louis DeJoy, the newly put in postmaster common, has made sweeping adjustments to the public service, corresponding to rolling again time beyond regulation, resulting in service slowdowns. Union officers have persistently warned that new cost-cutting measures enforce by DeJoy and USPS management might have a destructive impact on the service’s means to ship election-related mail on time.

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Union officers have stated their employees are dedicated to creating positive the mail-in vote is dealt with shortly and appropriately. Nonetheless, these new protocols are simply the newest adjustments USPS has enacted which have some voters uneasy and seem like additional eroding confidence in their mail system.

USPS closing some posts workplaces for lunch, ending prolonged night hours

In the St. Louis space, some submit workplaces that had been open until 6:30 p.m. — particularly to serve folks getting off-work — would begin to shut at 5:00 p.m, in line with Rebecca Livingston, American Postal Employees Union president of the St. Louis Gateway chapter.

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Union officers in West Virginia, Florida and Missouri additionally stated employees are being advised that submit workplaces should shut an hour for lunch.

Lunch “is traditionally their busier occasions,” Sinikka Melvin, the president of the Clarksburg, West Virginia, native American Postal Employee Union, advised CNN.

Individuals typically come in throughout their very own lunch hour to ship mail or buy USPS retail merchandise like stamps, in line with Melvin. USPS decreasing the retail hours worries union officers, who consider it might create lengthy traces at clerk home windows throughout the election season.

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Compounding the drawback, these traces might be lengthened by the reductions in the letter collection boxes in neighborhoods and out of doors submit workplaces, Melvin and different union officers advised CNN.

Senators need solutions about USPS letter collection boxes

Letter collection boxes have been eliminated in not less than 4 states, main some high politicians to ask the company for solutions.

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In New York, Jonathan Smith, president of the native American Postal Employees Union, stated the blue boxes that had been eliminated have been taken to a submit workplace in the Bronx. Photographs obtained by CNN present a variety of the USPS’ blue mailboxes lined up in a storage space, with some behind chains. It is unclear if all of those mailboxes had been just lately eliminated.

Iconic USPS blue letter collection boxes, which a union official tells CNN, had been removed form the streets of New York.

When initially contacted by CNN about elimination of 45 letter collection boxes in Montana, a USPS spokesperson wouldn’t verify the elimination, saying, “Traditionally, mail boxes have been eliminated for lack of use and put in in development areas. … It’s a fluid course of and figures can fluctuate from day-to-day.”

On Thursday afternoon, Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, requested DeJoy for solutions.

Tester stated Montanans had advised his workplace that USPS collections boxes “might have been faraway from Bozeman and Lewistown and that there could also be plans to take away boxes from Billings.”

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In his letter to DeJoy, Tester requested for the head of the USPS to verify the elimination of collection boxes, the rationale for the transfer and what has been communicated to the public on the matter.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, promised to ensure ballots are delivered on time.

“I can not consider Trump is making it tougher to ship mail & vote in November,” Merkley stated on Twitter. “We will struggle like hell to ensure postal employees & letter carriers can ship each poll!”

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CNN has reached out to the different senators in New York, Montana, West Virginia, Florida, Missouri and Indiana for remark.

This story and its headline have been up to date with further developments.

CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Sarah Mucha contributed to this report.

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Watch: Dubai Floods Gushing Every Year As Storm Dumps 1.5 Years of Rain 

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Watch: Dubai Floods Gushing Every Year As Storm Dumps 1.5 Years of Rain 

Recently, parts of the UAE and Dubai experienced heavy thunderstorms, damaging many parts of the desert city-state. The nation’s roadways, the city’s driverless metro rail system, and the airports experienced major flooding, reported The Guardian.

As per various news agencies, Dubai received a year and a half’s worth of rain in a single storm that occurred on Tuesday. 

Dubai experienced the most rainfall, only less than Fujairah. The UAE’s eastern coast experienced rainfall of 145 millimeters, being the heaviest rainfall on Tuesday. 

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The UAE’s northernmost emirate, Ras al-Khaimah, reported one casualty. Police reported that a 70-year-old man passed away as floodwater swept his vehicle. 

This incident is the largest rainfall event that the UAE experienced in 75 years. People inside the Mall of the Emirates were amazed to witness parts of the ceiling coming down and water gushing down from the ceiling. 

As per CNN, the Deira City Centre and the Sharjah City Centre also got damage due to continuous rain. 

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Record Breaking Rainfall For The UAE

People at the airport on arrival faced problems due to floodwater covering the entire area. Deeper-than-expected water also covered huge parts of roads.

Tanker trucks were sent by the authorities onto the highways and the streets so that excess water can be pumped. Water gushed into a few homes as well. 

Within a period of 24 hours, Dubai experienced more than 142 millimeters of rainfall. According to data from the Dubai International Airport, on average, UAE gets 94.7 millimeters of rainfall. 

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Due to the UAE’s presence in the Arabian Peninsula, it does not receive much rain. The arid nation experiences hardly rain during the cold winter months. 

Many roads in the UAE lack adequate drainage systems as the entire nation doesn’t get much rain throughout the year. Thus, the issue of flooding occurred.

Also Read: Indonesia Volcano Mount Ruang Eruption Video Viral, Over 11,000 Evacuated In Northern Indonesia

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Biggest Gold Heist In Canada: 2 Indo-Canadians Arrested, Brink’s Sues Air Canada

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Largest Gold Heist In Canada: 2 Indo-Canadians Arrested, Brink's Sues Air Canada

Canada’s biggest gold heist is the talk of the town currently. Among five South Asians who were arrested at Toronto airport, two men were Indo-Canadian, reported BBC.

This incident occurred on April 17, 2023, at Canada’s biggest airport. 

In this gold heist, foreign currency worth 2.5 million Canadian Dollars along with 6,600 gold bars worth 20 million Canadian Dollars were stolen from an “Air Canada storage depot at Pearson International Airport.

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Police announced the gold heist on Tuesday at Toronto airport. Good said that the 54-year-old Parmpal Sidhu, who is an Air Canada employee, is also among those five men who were apprehended.

The 40-year-old Amit Jalota from Oakville near Toronto is the other Indo-Canadian on the arrest list. 

The identities of the three other men who were apprehended are 35-year-old Prasath Paramalingam hailing from Brampton, 37-year-old Ali Raza hailing from Toronto and 43-year-old Ammad Chaudhary hailing from Brampton. 

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Under Project 24K, a long-year investigation was carried out, and then the arrests were announced. 

The police have also issued a warrant for 31-year-old Simran Preet Panesar. At the time of the theft, Simran was an Air Canada employee. A Canada-wise warrant has been issued for Arsalan Chaudhary and Archit Grover as well. 

A total of 6600 gold bars which weigh over 400 kg along with forex were flown to Toronto from Zurich by “two Swiss banks, Raiffeisen and Valcambi, for transactions” on April 17, 2023.

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Canada- How The Gold and Forex Was Stolen?

As per CNN, both the Swiss banks hired Brink’s, a security company based in Miami for supervision and security of transportation of the shipments to Toronto. 

The shipments were transferred from Zurich in two cargo ships with the terms “GOLDBARS” and “BANKNOTES” written on them. These shipments were deposited at the storage of Air Canada. 

Three hours later, by producing fake copies of the waybill, an individual claimed both the shipments from the Air Canada security personnel. 

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Police said, “A short time later, a forklift arrived with a container of gold and foreign currency and loaded it into the rear of the suspect’s truck.”

The same day when the employees of Brink’s reached around 9.30 p.m to pick up the shipments, but it was gone, as Forbes stated.

Thus, the security company has sued Air Canada for “negligently and carelessly” handling the cargo. 

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Brink’s states, “Upon receipt of the fraudulent waybill, AC personnel released the shipments to the unidentified individual, following which the unidentified individual absconded with the cargo.”

Also Read: Indonesia Volcano Mount Ruang Eruption Video Viral, Over 11,000 Evacuated In Northern Indonesia

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Indonesia Volcano Mount Ruang Eruption Video Viral, Over 11,000 Evacuated In Northern Indonesia

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Indonesia Volcano Eruption video goes viral on social media, over 11,000 evacuated in northern Indonesia

An Indonesia volcano eruption video has taken the internet by storm. The clip shows red lava coming out from the top of the mountain while the sky is almost grey due to smoke right above Ruang’s crater.

Due to the red alert in the area, more than 11,000 people were evacuated from the region. Plus, flight, or say air travel, has been put on halt after a volcano in northern Indonesia erupted several times in the past few days.

Indonesia Volcano Eruption Video

The Indonesia volcano, Mount Ruang, is situated in North Sulawesi Province. On Tuesday, at 9:45 pm, it erupted for the first time; the entire sky was filled with smoke and ashes. The next day, i.e., Wednesday, it made 4 more eruptions, causing Indonesia’s volcanology agency to take precautionary measures in the area. It’s an alert level for the 725-meter (2,379-foot) high mountain to four, the highest on the scale.

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Furthermore, the agency also widened the exclusion zone around the volcano, from four kilometers (2.5 miles) to six kilometers (3.7 miles). To save the people living around the mountain, around 800 people from Tagulandang Island to Ruang were also evacuated.

The Tagulandang Island is situated almost 100 kilometers north of the provincial capital, Manado. The head of the disaster agency’s disaster data, communications, and information center, Abdul Muhari stated-

“At least 11,615 residents who are in the risk area must evacuate to a safe place.”

Back in 2018, Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted, triggering a tsunami on the coasts of Sumatra. Even the Java parts fell from the water into the ocean due to which hundreds of people lost their lives.

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Also Read: Denmark Stock Exchange Fire Video All Over Internet: 400 Years Of Legacy Damaged

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