TikTok: Missing girl found after using viral call for help sign

 A teenager who went missing in the US has been found after she used hand signals that went viral on TikTok to show she was in danger.

The girl had been reported missing by her parents in North Carolina on Tuesday morning, and was spotted inside a car in Kentucky two days later.

The 16-year-old used the gesture designed to help domestic abuse victims ask for help to alert a passing driver.

Authorities say they arrested a 61-year-old man.

A driver called police after noticing “a female passenger in the vehicle making hand gestures that are known on the social media platform TikTok to represent violence at home – I need help – domestic violence,” the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

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The caller noted that the girl “appeared to be in distress” and was being driven by an older male.

The girl, who has not been named, told officers she had travelled through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Police later arrested James Herbert Brick, 61, of Cherokee, North Carolina, while he was driving near a Kentucky interstate on Thursday afternoon.

Signal for Help

IMAGE SOURCE,CANADIAN WOMEN’S FOUNDATION

The hand gesture is a one-handed sign someone can use when in distress, according to the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

The victim holds up their hand with their palm facing out, then tucks their thumb into their hand before closing their fingers on top of the thumb.

The campaign, called the “signal for help”, spread across social media in 2020 during the initial pandemic lockdowns, in an attempt to address a rise in domestic violence.

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The idea was a way for domestic abuse victims to seek help using a non-verbal cue.

Videos demonstrating the signs also gained momentum in the UK in the aftermath of the murder of Sarah Everard, which sparked a debate over women’s safety.

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Smoking: Plan to make Wales ‘smoke-free’ by 2030

 Plans to make Wales “smoke-free” by 2030 have been launched by the Welsh government.

About 14% of Wales’ population currently smoke, but it is hoped the figure will fall below 5% by the end of the decade.

Smoking was banned in playgrounds, school grounds and hospital grounds earlier this year.

The move has been welcomed by health experts, but pro-smoking group Forest said personal choice must be respected.

• Should smoking be banned in Wales’ beer gardens?
• Wales bans smoking at hospitals and playgrounds

A consultation, allowing people to share their views on how to create a smoke-free society, was launched by deputy minister for wellbeing Lynn Neagle on Monday.

She said: “Whilst we have made progress in recent years in reducing the number of people smoking, we want to go further and be ambitious to create a Wales where smoking is far from the norm.”

Wales’ chief medical officer, Dr Frank Atherton, said there were 5,600 smoking-related deaths in over-35s in 2018.

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

“Smoke-free” means less than 5% of the population smoking, the Welsh government says

Suzanne Cass, chief executive of the tobacco control action group Ash Cymru, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the group was “absolutely delighted” with the target, but a “different approach” was needed.

She said: “We really need to be looking to making sure we’re doing things differently – what we’re doing at the moment is not good enough so digital solutions to help people to quit smoking and also support young people.

“At the moment we’ve got 9% of 15 to 16-year-olds still smoking.

“We’ve been working in training colleges across Wales and we’re finding the number of young people who are smoking in those training colleges is up to 40%, so there needs to be a new approach to that.”

She said policies to clamp down on illegal tobacco, support for people being admitted to hospital and digital tools would help reach the target.

Health experts also supported the plan.

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

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Smokers’ group Forest said people’s choice to smoke should be respected by government and society

Dr Olwen Williams, vice president for Wales of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “We welcome this new strategy and its central target of a smoke-free Wales by 2030.

“Smoking is still the main cause of premature death in Wales, killing thousands of people every year, and as we emerge from this pandemic, it’s important that we face up to the impact of avoidable illness.”

Dr David Tuthill, officer for Wales at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child health, said the announcement was “welcome news”.

He said: “Smoking is detrimental to the health of young people throughout their lives, from higher rates of cot death to unnecessary hospital admissions for chest problems.”

Smoking will also be banned in hotel bedrooms and self-contained accommodation in Wales in 2022.

Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, said: “Tobacco is a legal product. No-one should be forced to quit smoking yet freedom of choice and personal responsibility are being replaced by coercion and creeping prohibition.

“Smokers should be informed about safer nicotine products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco but ultimately, if adults still choose to smoke, that choice must be respected by government and society.”

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First foreign visitors arrive in US after 20-month Covid ban

 The first foreign travellers have arrived at US airports, eager to reunite with family and loved ones after a 20-month Covid-19 travel ban.

The US on Monday reopened its borders to double-jabbed visitors, ending the restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump in March 2020.

The restrictions have affected non-US citizens from over 30 countries, including the UK and EU, separating families and stalling tourism.

A flood of visitors are expected today.

“It feels good, it feels good!” Jerome Thomann, head of Paris-based travel agency Jetset Voyages told Reuters news agency, saying his team had seen an “incredible upturn” in bookings.

Restrictions have been lifted for those who are fully vaccinated, and undergo testing and contact tracing.

Two flights from London’s Heathrow airport have since landed in the United States – marking the return of one of the world’s busiest flight paths.

In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, US borders were initially closed to travellers from China in early 2020. The restrictions were then extended to other countries.

The rules barred entry to most non-US citizens who had been in the UK and a number of other European countries, as well as China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.

Under the new rules, foreign travellers will need to show proof of vaccination before flying, get a negative Covid-19 test result within three days of travelling, and hand over their contact information. They will not have to quarantine.

• US border reopening to bring longed-for reunions
• US reopens border to fully vaccinated UK visitors
• What are the UK and US travel rules?

Alison Henry, a 63-year-old British mother, told AFP news agency: “It’s been so hard – I just want to see my son.”

Ms Henry, from Cheshire, plans to fly to New York on Monday to see her son for the first time in 20 months.

The US land borders with neighbours Canada and Mexico will also reopen for the fully vaccinated.

Thousands of migrants have arrived in areas along Mexico’s border with the US, hoping to take advantage of the newly-relaxed rules.

In southern Mexico, a new caravan of thousands of mainly Central American migrants – many of them children – has crossed from Chiapas to Oaxaca state, with the ultimate aim of reaching the border and being accepted into the US.

The Migrant Alliance Group, a Mexico-based advocacy group, has warned that false information is being spread about the new rules in some communities – with many asylum seekers assuming that they will now receive more favourable treatment from border officials.

Businesses in cities along the border with Mexico are hoping for a boost after struggling under America’s Covid-induced restrictions.

United Airlines says it expects a 50% rise in international inbound passengers, while Delta’s chief executive Ed Bastian warned travellers to expect queues.

Mr Bastian said: “It’s going to be a bit sloppy at first. I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately.”

The EU recommended allowing American travellers into the bloc in June, while visitors from the US have been able to travel to the UK since 28 July.

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Oscar Pistorius parole process to start in South Africa

 

South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, in prison for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, may soon meet her parents as part of the process leading to parole being considered, officials say.

He is eligible for possible release after having served half his sentence.

But he first has to take part in what is called “restorative justice”.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp dead in 2013 saying he mistook her for a burglar at his home in the capital, Pretoria.

The 34-year-old fired four times through a locked toilet door.

In 2014, at the conclusion of a trial that was followed around the world, he was given a five-year term for manslaughter. But Pistorius was found guilty of murder on appeal in 2015 and the sentence was later increased to 13 years and five months.

In a statement, South Africa’s department of correctional services said it was talking to the Steenkamp family about a possible meeting.

Outlining what needs to happen before parole is considered, the statement says that offenders must “acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions”.

As part of the restorative justice process there has to be “an opportunity for parties to reconcile or an apology”.

The Steenkamps’ lawyer, Tania Koen, told national broadcaster SABC that they “would like to participate in the victim-offender dialogue”.

“June [Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother] has always said that she has forgiven Oscar, however that doesn’t mean that he mustn’t pay for what he has done… Barry [Steenkamp, Reeva’s father] battles with that a bit, but that is something he will have to voice at the appropriate time,” Ms Koen added.

“The wound, even though so much time has passed, is still very raw.”

Being eligible for parole is not the same as being entitled to it and so it is not a forgone conclusion that he will be released, the lawyer said. The authorities will also have to consider a number of reports written by prison officials as well as other professionals.

There had also been some confusion over when the parole process could begin.

It was widely believed that it would not be until March 2023, but the Steenkamps were “very shocked and quite taken aback” that he was already eligible, Ms Koen said.

The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says that if granted parole, Pistorius would serve the remainder of his sentence at home and need to report to prison officials regularly.

Prior to the murder, Pistorius had become well known as a Paralympic gold medallist. In 2012, he made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics running on prosthetic “blades”.

His legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old because he was born without fibula bones.

Rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius

• August 2012: Competes in London Olympics and Paralympics, where he won a gold medal
• February 2013: Shoots dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
• March 2014: Trial begins
• September 2014: Judge finds Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide
• October 2014: Begins five-year sentence
• October 2015: Transferred to house arrest
• December 2015: Appeal court changes verdict to murder
• July 2016: Sentenced to six years in jail for murder
• November 2017: Sentence more than doubled to 13 years, five months

More about the murder trial:

• The making and unmaking of Oscar Pistorius
• My friend Reeva Steenkamp
• Oscar Pistorius trial: 10 key moments

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